Seasons of Change
by Mist3
Summary: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction ... RuHana/HanaRu ... this is a six part story ... you may read this as a complete story by itself or as the first in a series
1. Chapter 1 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 1 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: PG  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito  
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
[Shohoku High School]  
The summer had ended. As the red head looked out the window from where he was sitting, he could feel the cool winds of autumn against his face. It was now the middle of the second term at Sakuragi's first year at Shohoku High School. The boy had just returned to the school after having being on medical leave for two months due to a back problem. Sakuragi sustained the painful injury during a game with Sannoh at the last round of Inter High School tournaments.  
  
Hanamichi "Hahaha! My humble servants, the great Tensai is back!" strikes a signature pose on top of his desk   
Yohei "I did not expect to see you in school so soon" sits on the window sill  
{You should be resting at home for another two weeks ...}  
Hanamichi "Rest?! Tensai has superior powers of recovery! Bwahahaha!! Besides I still want to beat that Kitsune" frowns  
Yohei "Eh? Have you not heard about Rukawa's fainting episode?" leans forward  
{Kitsune ... you are always talking about boy}  
Hanamichi "What about the Stupid Kitsune?" crosses arms  
Yohei "He was hospitalised after basketball practice last week" bites into a sushi roll  
{All the girls ...}  
Hanamichi "What?!!!" pinches a piece of egg sushi from his buddy's lunchbox  
{Oh! No wonder ... I hope that he is ...}  
  
Though the red head was not at the academic side of life, he possessed first-rate athletic skills. Hence he was one of the better basketball players in the school. That afternoon, Sakuragi ran out of the classroom as soon as the last lecture was over. He could hardly wait to rejoin the team.  
  
Hanamichi "Haruko" beams  
Haruko "Sakuragi ... your hair has grown back" ruffles the red locks  
Ayako "Sakuragi Hanamichi, how is your back?" pats the red head's arm  
Hanamichi "Bwahahaha! Unlike that Silly Kitsune, this Tensai is a hundred percent okay!" laughs  
Ayako "Sakuragi ... do not be mean" waves a paper fan meaningfully  
  
THUMP!!!  
  
Hanamichi "OW! ... Gori! Why are you here?" looks at the tall senior  
{Stupid Gori!}  
Takenori "What do you mean?!" glares  
{With Rukawa out of action ... I need to see how much the team can depend on you}  
Hanamichi "Nothing ..." backs away  
{The Gori has retired ... right???}  
Ryota "Hanamichi! Meet Adachi Yuki, the latest member to our team. He is also a first year student" eyes the two boys  
  
A month ago, Adachi Yuki had returned to Japan from the United States. In the last six years, he had excelled in both academics as well as in sports. The boy was also quite a versatile basketball player. The boy's male parent was a successful Japanese entrepreneur, while his Japanese-American Mother was the Director of a private school that ran English language courses for adults.  
  
Hanamichi "I am Sakuragi Hanamichi ... the genius of Shohoku team" stares at the taller boy  
{Argh! This fellow is taller than me! I must ask Ayako about his actual height ...}  
Yuki "Hello! My name is Yuki. I have heard a lot of things about you" smiles  
{My God! He looks so much like the guy in my dreams ...}  
Hanamichi "You have???" blinks  
{Then he must know that I am ... wait a minute ... why does he keep smiling?}  
Yuki "Yes ... I have a feeling that we will be great together" declares confidently  
{I will make you mine}  
Ryota "People! Practice match! Now!" looks at everyone  
{Now that Rukawa is not around ... should I swap Mitsui with one of the other year ones to balance the two teams?}  
Hanamichi "Excellent suggestion!" beams  
{I will show this newcomer that I am the best!}  
Ryota "Mitsui & the other year two members are with me. Sakuragi, Yuki & the rest will be in the other team" dribbles a ball  
{Hanamichi ... are you still as good?}  
  
At the sixth minute of the first half, the team of seniors led the game by two points. The score was twenty points for the seniors & eighteen points for the juniors.   
  
Takenori "........." observes the players  
{I am surprised ... I had expected him to be out of form, but ...}  
Ayako "What is he looking for?" notices the breaks in Sakuragi's concentration  
{Why is he so distracted?}  
Takenori "Who knows?" grumbles  
{He gets distracted so easily ... but that Yuki is pretty good with three-pointers}  
  
The first half of the match ended with the two teams deadlocked at a score of thirty-two points each. Needless to say, the seniors were quite annoyed with the situation because they had expected to do much better as the other team was without Rukawa Kaede.   
  
Hisashi "I am better than him" mutters softly  
{This new kid is good ...}  
Ryota "Mitsui! Pass the ball!" calls out  
{This is quite a surprise ... Yuki is playing well with Sakuragi}  
Hanamichi "The ball is mine!" intercepts the pass  
{Kitsune ... feels strange to play without him}  
Yuki "Good catch!" praises the red head  
{Maybe we are fated to meet ... beautiful boy with the aura of a comet}  
  
The game ended with the seniors winning the competition with a one-point lead. The final score was fifty-three points for Miyagi's team & fifty-two points for Sakuragi's team.  
  
Kiminobu "Akagi ... I think that you can stop worrying" smiles  
{The juniors have three good players ... Rukawa, Sakuragi, Adachi}  
Takenori "Maybe ... but I am quite surprised that Sakuragi did not quarrel with Adachi" wonders  
{Why do I get this feeling that Yuki did not play as well as he could have?}  
Kiminobu "Adachi has better chemistry with him than Rukawa" raises a suggestion  
{Very interesting ... can this be a coincidence that both boys scored exactly twenty-four points?}  
  
Actually it was Yuki's intention to keep pace with the red head. He did not want to start their relationship as rivals because he had heard that Sakuragi possessed a competitive streak. Yet he was truly surprised by the red head's ability to get all of the rebounds.  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
Since the day that Rukawa was wheeled into the hospital, he has had two surgical treatments. The first was an emergency operation to remove the ruptured appendix. Yesterday's operation was to slice away the bits of infected tissue around the area. This morning, the boy's Mother wept tears of joy when the Doctor declared that the procedure was a complete success.  
  
Dr Sasaki "How are you feeling?" smiles at the boy  
Kaede "........." looks out the window  
{How am I? My body is aching. My mouth is dry. I want to get out of here ...}  
Mr Rukawa "When can we bring him home?" stands beside his son's bed  
Dr. Sasaki "Your son needs to stay here for a few more days" checks the patient's condition  
Kaede "........." sighs  
{What is the Do'aho doing now? ... Akagi sempai has retired; I wonder if Miyagi can handle him}  
Dr. Sasaki "When he is discharged ... the boy must refrain from strenuous physical activity for another eight weeks" updates the patient's progress charts  
Kaede "Eight weeks ..." moans  
{I will be bored to death without that idiot ... why am I thinking about him?}  
  
[Shohoku High School]  
As it was the proper thing to do, Mrs Rukawa personally informed the Principal about her son's condition. After that meeting, she also took a few minutes to explain the situation to Anzai sensei as Rukawa had asked her to do so. When she left, Anzai relayed her message to the team.  
  
Ayako "Appendicitis ... " thinks  
Haruko "Poor Rukawa-kun. His appendix must hurt a great deal" bites her bottom lip  
Hanamichi "The Kitsune is not only stupid, but weak as well ... beaten by a book" grumbles  
  
Everyone paused as they considered Sakuragi's statement about Rukawa being beaten by a book. Actually no one knew what the red head meant. Then Miyagi told everyone to meet him back at the sports hall later as they were going to visit Rukawa at the hospital.  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
The boys attracted a lot of curious stares as they passed the hospital corridors. Akagi ignored most of the wide-eyed looks, while Sakuragi opted to stare right back at the people who eyed his head of red hair. The former captain of the team was the first person to step into Rukawa's room.  
  
Ryota "Psst! Hanamichi ..." whispers  
Kiminobu "Sakuragi ... what were you talking about just now? Rukawa being beaten by a book???" voices Miyagi's question   
{The boy hardly touches any books ...}  
Hanamichi "Megane-kun ... this Stupid Kitsune has a problem with his 'appendix', right?" points to the patient  
Kiminobu "Yes ..." tries to figure out the meaning of the red head's comment  
{I am still lost ...}  
Hanamichi "Well ... Tensai knows that the appendix is at the back of a book" laughs  
  
There was a few seconds of silence as everyone absorbed what was said. Then Mitsui & Miyagi covered their mouths as they tried hard to stifle a strong urge to giggle.  
  
Ayako "Listen up, Sakuragi. The word 'appendix' also refers to a small intestinal pouch in the body. It is the first part of the large intestine. The disease 'appendicitis' means an inflammation of the appendix caused by bacteria from the intestinal tract" points her fan at the red head  
Ryota "Aya-chan is so clever" nods  
Hanamichi "Oh?! ... Bwahahaha! Of course! Tensai is just testing you!" makes an attempt to cover his ignorance  
  
WHACK! WHACK!!!  
  
Kaede "Do'aho" sighs  
{He never changes ... but he is actually quite cute ... CUTE???!!! Why do I think that he is cute? It must be the medication)   
Hanamichi "TEME KITSUNE! How dare you insult the Tensai! Is this your way of treating visitors?!" fumes  
{He looks so pale ... how soon can he come back to basketball practice? Why should I care?}  
Kaede "What? I do not see any ..." replies in a flat tone  
{Do you know that I cannot play basketball for eight weeks?}  
Hanamichi "WHY YOU!!!" growls  
{Stupid fox ... why do I have this urge to brush that fringe away from his eyes?}  
  
WHACK! WHACK!!! WHACK!!!!!  
  
Hanamichi "OWWW!" looks pitifully at Ayako  
Ayako "Stop shouting ... this is a hospital" scolds  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, does it hurt very much? Let me take a look at the bump" fusses over the red head  
{Cute ... real cute}  
Hanamichi "At last! Someone truly appreciates Tensai" tears  
  
Everyone sweatdropped. There was silence in the room as everyone watched Yuki patting Sakuragi's head gently.  
  
Kaede "........." stares at the two boys  
{Who is this guy? Why is he calling him, 'Sakuragi-kun'?! Why is that idiot allowing him to massage his head?!!!}  
Yuki "Poor dear" hugs the red head  
{I think that I really want you}  
Ryota "Rukawa ... this is Adachi Yuki. He joined our team 3 days ago" introduces the newcomer  
Yuki "Hello there! Glad to meet you at last! I have heard lots of great stuff about you" extends hand for a handshake  
{So this is Rukawa Kaede ...}  
Kaede "... ... ..." ignores the offered hand  
{Looks like another guy who talks too much}  
Yuki "We just had a practice match & Sakuragi-kun was great" drapes a friendly arm around the red head  
{I hear that you hate his guts}  
Kaede "........." glares  
{Arrr! He has called him 'Sakaragi-kun' twice in a span of five minutes!!! Now he is almost cuddling that idiot!!!!!}  
Yuki "Rukawa ... what do you think of Sakuragi-kun?" grins  
{With your experience, I am sure that you can see his potential}  
Kaede "........." looks at the beaming red head  
{Why is it that I am not the one who makes you smile? ... EHHH?! What am I thinking about?!!!}  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun is a great basketball player. Maybe we will even be known as the 'Golden Flame Duo' in the future" boasts  
{Since you are a solo player ...}  
Kaede "Golden Flame Duo ........." scowls  
{What a corny name}  
Yuki "Yeah! Do you mind if I have this beautiful red-head" embraces Sakuragi  
{Blue eyes ...}  
Kaede "...!!!..." grips fist  
{What does you mean by wanting to 'have' my Do'aho?! ... ##@@##!!! ... XX##XX!!!}  
Hanamichi "What is that look on your face? Do you want to fight with me?" notices Rukawa's tense expression  
  
Though the other people in the room said nothing, their minds were busy. Later on, Akagi & many others would come to realise that Adachi Yuki was indeed a troublesome character. As for Kogure, he thought that Yuki was being a bit too friendly with Sakuragi, but he shrugged off the idea, as the red head was not complaining about all the hugs & such.   
  
Ayako "........." thinks  
{Yuki is certainly sweet on Sakuragi ... too sweet}  
Hisashi "........." watches the pair  
{Golden Flame Duo! ... I am the ace of Shohoku!}   
Ryota "Oh boy ..." sighs   
{Yuki plans to partner Sakuragi, a 'beautiful red-head'?!!!}   
Ayako "Rukawa, is anyone keeping you up-to-date with the lessons?" looks at the patient  
{Why are you glaring so hard at Yuki?}   
Kaede "No" shakes head  
Ayako "Hmmm ... let me look into it" pats Rukawa's arm  
{Or you will start failing all the subjects}  
Hanamichi "Ayako-san ... you are wasting time with this Stupid Kitsune" pulls a face  
Ayako "Which reminds me ... you have missed more classes than Rukawa. I must definitely arrange some sort of tutoring for the two of you" taps the red head with her paper fan  
{I will ask for Haruko's help with this one}  
Yuki "Ayako-senpai, I have a live-in private tutor. If Sakuragi does not mind, he can join me" smiles  
{We can spend more time together ... I can even get him to sleep over at my house}  
  
If looks could kill, Yuki would certainly have been killed by Rukawa's angry stare.  
  
[Shohoku High School]  
Although Sakuragi was no longer a complete greenhorn to the game of basketball, he still had extra practice sessions with Ayako. The good thing was that he had moved beyond simple ball handling techniques to shooting hoops. As his mind wandered off elsewhere, the red head once again found his head to be on the receiving end of her formidable fan.  
  
Hanamichi "Ouch!" covers head with both hands  
Ayako "Come on, Sakuragi, keep your hands steady. Or are you too tired?" taunts the boy  
Hanamichi "Of course not! Tensai does not tire out so easily. Do not compare me with that useless Kitsune" grumbles  
{Why am I thinking of that fox again? ... that blue-eyed fox}  
Ayako "You must remember to bring that file of notes to Rukawa after this" reminds the red head  
Hanamichi "Why me?" grouches  
Ayako "That is because you can walk home from the hospital" grins  
{Actually ... the main reason is that nobody wants to be the one to wake Rukawa when he is sleeping}  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
Sakuragi grinned as he walked into the hospital. He could hardly wait to try out his scheme. The red head had planned to tiptoe into the room, dump the file on the surprised boy & run off. However all his petty thoughts of revenge melted away as soon as he caught sight of Rukawa, who was sound asleep on the bed. It was the first time that he had ever looked upon his supposed 'Number One Rival' without feeling any negative emotions. Instead of resentment, he was curious about the other person, so he climbed onto the bed to get a closer view of the dark-haired youth.  
  
Sometime later, Rukawa stirred & woke up. His eyes widened when he saw the person who was sleeping beside him on the king-sized bed. It was totally unbelievable. Sakuragi Hanamichi was sleeping in his bed! Why was the red head sleeping with the enemy??? Then he noted the wet spot on the pillow. The red head was drooling in his sleep!  
  
Kaede "I do not believe this ..." runs fingers through the other boy's hair "but true"  
{Your hair is so soft ... why are you here beside me? Do you not hate me?}   
  
A spilt second later, Sakuragi opened his eyes to see a pair of deep blue eyes looking at him.   
  
Hanamichi "Blue-eyed Kitsune" smiles sleepily  
{Why does my heart ache when I look into your eyes? I have never felt this way before ...}  
  
Seconds later, the red head sat up quickly as he became more aware of the surroundings. Most importantly, he was conscious of the fact that he had fallen asleep on the same bed as Rukawa Kaede.  
  
Kaede "Do you know that you drool?" teases the red head  
{Blue-eyed fox ... do you like foxes with blue eyes?}  
Hanamichi "Eh? ... Oh!!!" turns pink with embarrassment   
Kaede "........." studies the blushing boy  
{Or do you prefer Akagi's sister?}  
Hanamichi "Teme Kitsune! You ought to be thankful that I brought your notes!" avoids looking into Rukawa's eyes  
{Arrgh! What happened to me?! Why am I sleeping in his bed?!!!}  
Kaede "Do'aho" murmurs  
{You look cute when you are tense. Maybe this is why I provoke you ...}  
Hanamichi "........." gulps  
{I should be angry ... but why is my heart beating faster?}  
Kaede "........." runs a finger across Sakuragi's parted lips  
{Why do I feel this urge to touch you? ... This is so confusing ...}  
Hanamichi "What are you doing?!" trembles  
{Shit! I am shaking?! ... I should push him away}  
Kaede "Showing appreciation ... the notes" trails a wet finger along the other boy's jaw line  
{I want to ... to kiss you}  
Hanamichi "Are you on drugs?! Do you know who I am?" breathes deeply to calm himself  
{Is he trying to seduce me?!!!}  
Kaede "........." nods  
{Of course, I do ...}  
Hanamichi "Okay ... Eeps!" falls off the bed  
{I must get out of here}  
Kaede "........." stares at the boy's frantic exit  
{I must have scared him ...}  
  
That night, Sakuragi could not sleep as he kept on thinking about the earlier incident. There were so many questions in his head. What had happened? Did it really happen???  
  
[Shohoku High School]  
The very next day, the poor boy was nominated by the other team members to be in-charge of sending the notes to Rukawa for the next couple of days as they could see that he had survived the first trip. Ayako had noticed the dark circles underneath his eyes, but thought nothing of it.  
  
Hanamichi "NO! I will NOT do it! Get someone else to deliver the notes to that Stupid Kitsune!" protests loudly  
{I do not want to face him so soon ... last night ...}   
Hisashi "How about a deal? In return, we will pay for your lunch every day" smiles  
Hanamichi "Really? ... you will really buy whatever I want to eat?" scratches back of head  
{This means that I can eat as much as I want!!!}  
Ryota "So you will say yes?" pats the red head's back  
Hanamichi "YES! Deal! Bwahahaha!" beams happily  
{Food! Food! Everything that I like ...}  
Yuki "I can go with you to the hospital. We could have dinner together ... I am buying" grins  
Hanamichi "Really?" blinks  
{This must be my lucky day}  
Yuki "Yep! I can get you anything that you want" assures the red head  
{I really want you}  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
Since last night, Rukawa had thought about little else except Sakuragi Hanamichi. After much thought, it dawned upon him that he was attracted to the red head.   
  
Yuki "Hi Rukawa! How are you doing?" calls out to the patient  
Kaede "......" stares at his visitors  
{Why is he here with him?}  
Yuki "These are your notes. Is there anything else that you need? If not, we are going off" hugs the red head  
Kaede "........." frowns  
{I need you to remove your hands from his shoulders. He is mine! He is mine??? What is happening to me?!!!}  
Hanamichi "Kitsune? Are you okay?" notes Rukawa's unhappy expression  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, I am sure that he is fine. We should go. What do you want for dinner? Bye Rukawa!" waves  
Hanamichi "Sushi ... can we have that for dinner?" looks up at the taller boy  
Kaede "Shit ..." clenches fist tightly  
{Damn it! Do'aho is mine}  
  
To Be Continued ... 


	2. Chapter 2 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 2 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: R  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito ; The song 'Lost in Your Eyes' belongs to Debbie Gibson  
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
[Denny's Restaurant]  
The red head of Shohoku High School had thoroughly enjoyed himself during the last two days. As part of their agreement, the senior members of the basketball team pooled cash to pay for his lunch & Yuki brought him to nice restaurants for dinner. Sakuragi was delighted with this temporary arrangement for he was able to keep the money that would have been used to pay for those meals.   
  
Yohei "You bought this for me?" looks at the Gundam Kit  
{I have always wanted this ...}  
Hanamichi "Yeah ... you know ... I owe you a birthday present" grins  
Yohei "Thanks ..." smiles  
{I know ... but there are times when I feel that you are getting further away}  
Hanamichi "What do you think of him?" stirs his soup  
Yohei "Who? Rukawa?" looks across the table  
{Why do you keep talking about him?}  
  
As he had expected, Sakuragi nodded his head. Was Mito surprised that his friend was thinking of Rukawa? The answer was no. He suspected that the red head no longer viewed the other boy as just a competitor.  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
As opposed to Sakuragi's cheery mood, Rukawa was feeling terribly grumpy this morning. The poor boy was simply not used to being on an emotional roller coaster. All of it started four nights ago, when he woke up to find the red head sleeping beside him on the bed. The truth was that he had wanted to kiss Sakuragi. After the boy fled, he told himself that Sakuragi would probably be back the next day with another stack of lecture notes. However his prediction was only partially correct for Sakuragi was not alone when he visited Rukawa on Thursday. Things quickly went from bad to worse when Yuki showed up with the red head on the following night.   
  
Kaede "Yuki ... what are you planning?" growls  
{I will not let you have him}  
Nurse "What? Do you need anything?" smiles brightly  
Kaede "........." shakes head  
{Not when I have just discovered my feelings for him ... or am I going crazy?}  
Nurse "Are you sure?" pouts prettily  
Kaede "........." ignores the young woman  
{Instead of stopping to smell the flowers ... I stop for a carrot top ... that idiot}  
Nurse "Just press this if you need me" points to a buzzer beside the bed  
Kaede "........." turns away  
{I wonder if he will come today ... ARGH! WHY MUST IT BE THAT LOUD-MOUTHED IDIOT?!!!}  
  
The boy found it difficult to accept the fact that he liked the self-proclaimed genius of Shohoku. He tried to rationalise his feelings for Sakuragi because he thought that a logical approach would be the best way out of the bizarre situation. Unfortunately, this seemingly perfect plan backfired.   
  
Kaede "I am so stupid" sighs  
{Oh hell! Who knows? I may even love him ... why must this happen to me? My life was so simple}  
  
For as long as the boy could recall, he was only passionate about the game of basketball. He hardly felt anything for the people around him. He felt neither anger nor hatred. There was no joy & laughter. Nobody could make him sad or disappointed. Some individuals have called him 'cold-blooded' but such a term did not bother him.  
  
Kaede "I was blind" closes his eyes  
{The truth is that you have changed me ... like a catalyst ...)  
  
During the last couple of nights, the boy finally recognised a shocking truth about himself as he thought about all the things, which had happened after that initial clash with Sakuragi Hanamichi on the rooftop of the school. When the red head's fist connected with his jaw, Rukawa had his first taste of anger. That afternoon, he felt a strong urge to express amusement when he saw the idiot pull the training pants off Akagi Takenori. Perhaps the only reason why he was the only to keep a straight face was that he did not know how to laugh.  
  
Kaede "Ha-na-mi-chi ..." looks at the vase of flowers beside his bed  
{What happens now? You have melted the ice around my heart & soul}  
  
With the last few months, he had experienced a considerable range of emotions. During Shohoku's match against Shoyo, Rukawa had felt disappointment when the red head was sent off after performing a magnificent slam dunk. He had also felt a sense of sadness when Sakuragi cried after losing the match to Kainan. It was the first time that he had ever wanted to comfort another living person.  
  
Kaede "I think that I desire you" recalls his physical reaction to the red head's closeness on Wednesday night  
{To taste your lips ... touch your skin ...smell your scent ... hear your moans ... see your response}  
  
That night, Rukawa had difficultly falling asleep as his imagination produced a stream of images that kept him awake.   
  
[Shohoku High School]  
As dictated by custom, the school would celebrate the annual Culture Day in another three weeks time. Due to the team's outstanding accomplishment at the last national basketball championships, the school board had requested that its members make an effort to come up with something to liven up the festivities.   
  
Ayako "I want everyone to come with a suggestion" draws two columns on the whiteboard  
Hisashi "Can we opt out?" yawns  
Ayako "Nooo ... so what is to be our contribution?" looks at everyone  
Ryota "A performance?" beams at the girl  
{Romeo & Juliet ...}  
Hisashi "Food stall?" sighs  
Hanamichi "Yes! Tensai supports Micchy! Tensai can help to taste the food" nods enthusiastically  
Ryota "No. We will nothing left to sell if you 'help' out ... your stomach is like a bottomless pit" grumbles  
{How can one person eat so much?!!!}  
Hanamichi "Food is good. It will help us to grow 'taller' ..." grins  
Ryota "........." fumes  
{I hate it when people joke about my height}  
Hanamichi "Someone must eat more if he wants to grow taller" sniggers  
Ryota "WHY YOU!!!" throws a basketball at the red head  
{ARGH!!! Why must I be so short?!!!}  
Hanamichi "Shorty must eat more! Bwahahahaha!!" laughs  
  
WHACK! WHACK!!!  
  
Eventually, the team came to a decision to present a musical item at the Culture Festival. When the discussion came to an end, Ayako reminded Sakuragi to get Rukawa's feedback on the matter, as the boy was also one of the participants in the programme.   
  
Hanamichi "Why do I have to ask him?" grumbles  
Ayako "........." raises her paper fan  
Hanamichi "Okay! Okay!" retreats  
  
The red head smiled at the boy who was waiting for him in the shower rooms. However the smile disappeared when he heard what the other person had to say. Yuki had invited Sakuragi to a dinner function hosted by his parents at the Yokohama Grand Inter-Continental Hotel.  
  
Hanamichi "Erm ..." hesitates  
{I will look stupid if I tell him that I have nothing to wear for such formal events}  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun ... I hope that you will like this" takes a glossy bag from his locker  
Hanamichi "What is it?" peeks into the bag  
{Maybe I can say that I am not feeling well}  
Yuki "It is a suit ... the measurements should be correct. Try it on" smiles encouragingly  
Hanamichi "This is for me??? It looks very nice ..." looks at the label  
{Kenzo! This is expensive!}  
Yuki "Will you wear this to the dinner tonight?" smiles  
Hanamichi "I ... I suppose that I can do that ..." rubs the back of his neck  
{How can I refuse?}  
  
Yuki helped Sakuragi with the final adjustments as the red head was obviously not used to wearing such things. As they walked towards the waiting car, Yuki lost count of the number of students who stared at the person beside him. Sakuragi looked as if he had just walked out the pages of a fashion magazine.  
  
Hanamichi "........." toys with the zip of his sports bag  
{I wonder what will that Stupid Kitsune say about this ...}  
Yuki "I will pick you up from the hospital an hour later" rests a hand on the red head's knee-cap  
Hanamichi "Are you sure that I look okay?" moves his leg away  
{Why does he keep touching me?}  
Yuki "Trust me ... I am never wrong about such things" withdraws hand  
Hanamichi "All right ... see you later" steps out of the car  
{I will bash that Silly Kitsune if he dares to say anything ...}  
  
[Kanagawa Hospital]  
The patient had his eyes closed when the red head entered the room. He did not need to open his eyes to know the identity of his visitor. Sakuragi Hanamichi was the only person who pushed against the door with so much force that the piece of wood would hit against the wall.  
  
Hanamichi "KITSUNE! WAKE UP!!!" prods the patient's arm with finger  
{Look at me! Yuki says that I look great ...}  
Kaede "........." keeps eyes shut  
{Stupid idiot! Why do I keep thinking about you?!}  
Hanamichi "KITSUNE!!! Are you awake yet?" takes a closer look at the boy  
{You are always sleeping ...}  
Kaede "........." turns head towards the red head  
{Argh! What am I going to say?}  
  
A shock ran through his body as he felt Sakuragi's touch. He knew who was feeling his hair, but he did not know why. Do enemies do not touch each other? No, he did not think so.   
  
Hanamichi "Sleeping beauty" touches the boy's lips with a finger  
{What am I doing?!!!}  
Kaede "........." parts lips  
{Why are you doing this?}  
Hanamichi "He will kick me if he knows what I am doing ..." sighs  
{Why am I smiling like an idiot?!!! Maybe I should kick myself ...}  
Kaede "I will not kick you" opens his eyes to look at the red head  
{What do you feel about me? Can I hope ...}  
Hanamichi "EEEEEEEEE!!!" flushes "Why are you awake? I thought that you are sleeping"  
{OH NO! Did he hear me call him a 'sleeping beauty'?!!! ...why am I blushing?!!!}  
Kaede "Is that why you touch me?" runs a wet tongue across his lips  
{What will you say if I do this?}  
  
There were no words to fully describe the flux of emotions that raged inside Sakuragi as he looked at the other boy who was licking his fingers. Then things got more complicated when Rukawa started sucking upon his second & third finger. Why was Rukawa sucking his fingers?! Was the other boy really awake?!   
  
Hanamichi "Kit!" squeaks "Kitsune!"  
{It feels so warm & moist inside his mouth. Oh no! Why is giving me that look?!}  
Kaede "........." pushes the fingers deeper into his mouth  
{I think that you like this ...}  
Hanamichi "........." groans  
{Shit! I ... I can't think ...}  
Kaede "Am I hurting you?" studies the look on the red head's face  
{I must be confusing you. Yet I see desire in your eyes ... WAIT A MINUTE! A SUIT?!!! WHY???}  
Hanamichi "No ... feels nice ... !!!" licks the wet fingers  
{YUCK!!! What am I doing?!}  
Kaede "Why are you in a monkey suit?" stares  
{Is it a silk suit?! How did you get it?!}  
Hanamichi "Monkey ..." glares "... suit"  
{You ... you ... you ... STUPID KITSUNE!!!}  
Kaede "Where are you going?" looks at fuming red head  
{Are you going out with that Yuki?}  
Hanamichi "Dinner at Yokohama Grand Inter-Continental ... he said that I look 'enticing' in this suit" poses  
{Why should you care?}  
Kaede "Arrr ..." growls  
{ENTICING!!! ... THAT SHAMELESS CAD!}  
Hanamichi "Bwahahaha! Yuki also says that I look sexy in black silk" thinks  
{Actually he was touching my bottom when he ...}  
Kaede "ARRR ..." snarls  
{SEXY! ... THAT HEEL!! THAT RAKE!!!}  
Hanamichi "Jealous? I will eating good stuff for dinner, while you have hospital food. Bwahahaha!" laughs  
{Serves you right}  
Kaede "Grand Inter-Continental Hotel ..." recalls something  
{Can it be that gala dinner that Father was talking about? I hate these functions, but ...}  
  
Although Rukawa was not a hundred percent sure of his feelings for Sakuragi, but he knew that he could not tolerate the thought of Adachi Yuki being too chummy with the red head. As far as he was concerned, there was no way for him to put up with such a thing.  
  
[Grand Inter-Continental Hotel]  
Everything was done to perfection. The function room was appropriately decorated to create the correct ambience for the hundreds of guests who attended the party. As Yuki walked his friend around the tables of food, he was delighted to find that some of the exotic dishes were completely alien to the red head. The taller youth was quite happy to find an attentive listener as he explained the foreign origin of those delicacies.  
  
Yuki "Do you want so more dessert?" removes a cake crumb from Sakuragi's chin  
Hanamichi "Not now ... maybe later" smiles  
{I am stuffed ...}  
Yuki "Want to sit outside?" points to the garden  
Hanamichi "Okay" nods  
{I could do with a walk}  
Yuki "Go ahead ... I will just get some drinks" gives a light push to the red head  
  
Neither of the two boys noticed that someone with a pair of blue eyes had been staring hard at them, as each was busy with his own agenda. When Sakuragi stepped out to the garden, the owner of those eyes followed. From the shadows, he watched as Yuki joined the red head with a tray full of colourful cocktails & shooters. The expression on his face darkened as he watched. He knew that Sakuragi could handle alcohol, but downing beer was child's play as compared to hard liquors such as rum, whiskey & vodka.  
  
Hanamichi "Hehee ..." giggles  
Yuki "How are you feeling?" hugs the drunk boy  
{Are you high yet? That was the last drink ...}  
Hanamichi "Hahaa ... why is everything spinning?" tries to focus on Yuki  
Yuki "Sssh ... I will take care of everything" unbuttons Sakuragi's jacket  
{I want you}  
Hanamichi "Really?" leans back against the other boy  
Yuki "Trust me" slips a hand into the shirt  
{I will not hurt you}  
  
Suddenly Yuki felt something hard hitting the side of his head. Someone had thrown a small rock at him.  
  
Yuki "Who the fuck?!" looks around  
Kaede "Get away from him!" steps into the light  
{BASTARD!!!}  
Yuki "Surprise ... surprise ... did you throw this at me?" picks up the piece of offending rock  
Kaede "Move away from him!" walks up to Yuki  
{I will not allow you to touch him}  
Yuki "Oh yeah ... make me if you can" prepares to swing a punch at Rukawa's injured side  
  
Fortunately for Rukawa, the sound of a man's voice stopped Yuki. It was the boy's father. The boy had no choice but to obey the summons.   
  
Yuki "Fuck you, Rukawa Kaede! One day he will be mine!" stalks off  
Kaede "Not as long as I am around" mutters angrily  
{You will not have him}  
Hanamichi "Hehee" sniggers  
Kaede "Do'aho ..." touches Sakuragi's face gently  
{How many drinks did you have? Your face is burning hot!}  
Hanamichi "Kit-sune ... ???" looks at the face above  
Kaede "Yes ..." smiles gently  
{I got here just in time}  
Hanamichi "I feel sick" leans head against Rukawa's chest for support  
Kaede "Serves you right" grumbles  
{He could have raped you}  
Hanamichi "Why are you always scolding me?" looks up  
Kaede "Because I care" kisses the boy's forehead  
{I could have lost you}  
Hanamichi "Why?" pouts  
Kaede "You are important to me" strokes the red fringe  
{I want you}  
Hanamichi "You have changed" studies the other person's lips  
Kaede "Yes ... like the seasons" lowers head for a kiss  
{We met in spring ... now it is already autumn}  
  
For a boy who was rejected by fifty girls, he could not believe what was happening to him. This was the first time that he was kissing another person. It was his first kiss. Poor Sakuragi felt as if his world had been turned upside down. He never had so many new experiences within a single day. He had never owned a nice suit. Nobody had ever invited him to such a classy function. Most importantly, he could not believe that Rukawa Kaede had actually claimed to care for him. Did the most popular boy in the school said that he was important to him?  
  
Kaede "Are you crying?" brushes a teardrop away  
{Do you hate my kisses so much?}  
Hanamichi "I do not think so ..." smiles  
{I feel ... happy}  
Kaede "Do'aho" hugs the red head  
{Can I love you?}  
Hanamichi "Are you real?" looks into Rukawa's eyes  
{If this is a dream, I do not want to wake up ... I am lost in your eyes}  
  
I get lost in your eyes  
And I feel my spirits rise  
And soar like the wind  
Is it love that I am in?  
  
Kaede "Shall we dance?" stands up slowly with Sakuragi in his arms  
{Is it love that I am in? Everything feels so right}  
  
I get weak in a glance  
Isn't that what's called romance?  
And now I know  
'Cause when I'm lost I can't let go  
  
Hanamichi "I .. I am sorry" whispers  
{I get weak in a glance}  
Kaede "Why?" moves to the music  
{Is this what is called romance?}  
Hanamichi "Those times that I hit you" murmurs  
{Please don't hate me ... because when I'm lost I can't let go}  
Kaede " Thank you " smiles softly  
{You have brought me into the real world ... you helped me to find a heart}  
  
I don't mind not knowing what I'm headed for  
You can take me to the skies ......  
It's like being lost in heaven  
When I'm lost in your eyes  
  
Hanamichi "What do you mean?" gazes at Rukawa  
{What am I heading for?}  
Kaede "Sssh" shakes head "Do not talk"  
{So this is what it feels for a human to be lost ... lost in your eyes}  
  
The music was wonderful so the boys continued to dance in the cool autumn night. Suddenly they heard the sound of someone coughing politely nearby.   
  
Man Servant "Young Master?" calls out  
Kaede "........." glares at the intruder  
{Buzz off! Shoo! Go away!}  
Hanamichi "Kitsune. I think that he is calling you. Who is he?" questions Rukawa  
Kaede "Nobody" gives the man another sharp look  
{Shut up & move off!}  
Man Servant "The Master is worried about you. He asked me to drive you back to the hospital as soon as you have taken back what is yours. Do you need me to carry it for you?" offers to help  
Kaede "No" tries to ignore the servant  
{Old buzzard! This Do'aho is mine!}  
Man Servant "Young Sir, I would be most grateful if you could help me persuade Master Kaede" bows at Sakuragi  
Hanamichi "Huh? Oh ... Kitsune?" tugs his friend's sleeve  
Kaede "Oh ... all right" sighs  
{It is getting late}  
  
At the hotel lobby, the trio met up with Rukawa's Father who introduced them to his business associate, who happened to be Yuki's father. The air was thick with animosity as anger sparks flew between Rukawa & Yuki. The two dark-haired boys simply glared at each other in silence. Then Rukawa just walked off with Sakuragi.   
  
To Be Continued ... 


	3. Chapter 3 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 3 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: R  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito  
Warning: Bad Language! Sexual References!!!  
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
[Shohoku High School]   
Couple of days later, Rukawa was finally discharged from the hospital with strict instructions to take it easy for a month. In other words, he was expected to rest & not play basketball. Initially his parents wanted their son back at the family mansion in Hakone, but Rukawa had refused. His Mother tried to persuade him by the use of tears, but he was unmoved. Then he cut off his Father's lecture on filial piety by stating that his apartment was much closer to the school. Though Rukawa appeared calm, but his eyes were flashing with cold fury. The boy was very close to a rare outburst of temper. Was he mad with his parents? Not really. So what was the reason for his anger? The cause was none other than the self-proclaimed genius of Shohoku High. Rukawa really wanted to get hold of the red head as soon as possible.  
  
Therefore on his first day back to school, he quickly tracked down his quarry. He really wanted to know the reason why the other boy was avoiding him. Unfortunately he was not having much success at cornering Sakuragi, for the red head was never alone. Rukawa had come to realise that Mito Yohei was always with Sakuragi. The two boys would only be away from each other when the red head was at basketball practice. He wondered if there was any more than friendship between them.  
  
Kaede "Do'aho ..." trails the boys  
{Why did you leave the notes on my bed without saying a word to me?}  
Yohei "Hanamichi, do you have this feeling that Rukawa is following us?" glances behind  
{Why is he glaring at me?}  
Hanamichi "Is he?" pretends to know nothing of it  
{Stop following me! I do not want to be close to you ... it will be your fault if I go crazy}  
Yohei "I think he just said 'Do'aho' ..." looks at his friend  
{What is wrong with Rukawa? At this time, he should be taking a nap on the rooftop}  
Hanamichi "I did not hear anything" pulls Mito along  
{I must be a sick pervert! ARGH! Why do I keep thinking of that night?!!! ... but his kisses feel so good}  
Yohei "WATCH OUT!" pulls the red head before he smashed his face against a cement pillar  
{What is wrong with these two?}  
Hanamichi "Thanks ..." fakes a smile  
{Shit! When I close my eyes, I can still feel his hands on me ... I cannot let Yohei & the others know about this}  
  
Soon the lessons were over & members of the basketball team assembled in the sports hall for their daily practice sessions. Rukawa had also joined the others for he had little intention of obeying the doctor's instructions to stay away from basketball for the time being.  
  
Cheerleader - RU "AAAHHH! Rukawa is back!!!" screams  
Cheerleader - KA "He looks as good as ever" hugs herself  
Cheerleader - WA "Of course! He is our idol!" waves frantically at Rukawa  
Cheerleader - KA "RUKAWA-SAMA!!!" squeals  
Cheerleader - RU "I LOVE YOU!!!" shrieks  
  
These females were the pioneers of the Rukawa fan club. Membership had grown from three to the present number of two hundred. If the school board had allowed it, the girls probably would have registered it as a real club with a chairperson, assistant chairperson, a treasurer & so on. Judging from the volume of the excited cheering, there could be about a hundred girls present showing support for their idol.  
  
Matsui "Oh dear ... they are back" sighs  
Fujii "They are so noisy" covers her ears  
Matsui "What do you expect? She may want to join them" teases Haruko  
Haruko "Me? No way" shakes head  
Matsui "Are you sure? He is back ..." looks at Rukawa  
Haruko "I know ... but" shrugs  
  
Both of Haruko's friends stared at her for they had not expected such a lacklustre response from their classmate. Then they looked at each other in amazement. As Fujii wondered if the girl was sick, Matsui had observed that Haruko no longer had that glazed expression on her face whenever she looked upon Rukawa Kaede. What did this change mean? Could Haruko have gotten over her crush?  
  
Yuki "Wow!" stares at the cheering girls  
Yasuharu "There goes the peace & quiet" sighs  
Yuki "Hey man ... I did not know that you are such a ladies man" grins  
Kaede "........." ignores Yuki  
{It is none of your business}  
Yuki "So what is your type of woman?" pats Rukawa's shoulder  
Kaede "........." moves away from Yuki  
{Can you not keep your hands to yourself?}  
Hisashi "What is he up to?" stares at newest member of the team  
{Is he irritating Rukawa on purpose?}  
Ryota "Maybe he is just being friendly" scratches head  
{Is his behaviour a result of foreign education?}  
Hisashi "I think that you better stop it" notes Rukawa's expression  
{Before a fight breaks out between the two}  
  
Miyagi needed time to consider Mitsui's advice. Was it really possible that Yuki was picking a fight with Rukawa? How could the two boys be rivals when they had yet to pit their skills against each other? A feeling of unrest stirred in the pit of his stomach as he watched the way that Yuki was looking at Rukawa. This new situation took the Captain of the team by surprise. Miyagi had only prepared himself mentally to deal with the regular disputes between Sakuragi & Rukawa. Then the underlying tension faded away as Coach Anzai walked in. After the routine round of greetings, he asked Rukawa to join him at the sidelines.   
  
Anzai "You are back" smiles  
Kaede "It is good to be back" nods  
{I do not think that this is all that you want to say}  
Anzai "Your Mother came to see me this morning" thanks Ayako for the chair  
Kaede "........." shuffles his feet  
{I see ... what did she say?}  
Anzai "Watch the others for now" sits on the chair "A month later, you can join them"   
Kaede "I do not need to rest for so long" studies the flooring  
{I feel fine ...}  
Anzai "I do not want you to risk your future career. You must follow the hospital's advice" looks at the boy seriously  
Kaede "........." stares at the Coach  
{You mean that I have no choice}  
Anzai "Sakuragi-kun!" calls for the red head  
Hanamichi "What is it?" comes running  
{I have a bad feeling ...}  
Anzai "I need your help to keep an eye on Rukawa-kun for a month" beams at Sakuragi  
Hanamichi "........." gapes "Why does it have to be me? I do not have the time to watch over this Stupid Kitsune"  
{No way! ... why is he looking at me like that? Turn away ... Hanamichi, you have to look away}  
Kaede "........." brightens  
{This may be a good thing}  
  
Poor Sakuragi. No matter what he said, the Coach knew that the red head was the best candidate for the task of keeping Rukawa on the sidelines as he was the only one who would stand up to the other boy. Then everyone groaned as Sakuragi started his routine of cheek pinching, chin pulling & belly patting in an all out attempt to persuade Anzai to nominate someone else for the job.  
  
Hisashi "Sakuragi, stop it!" shouts  
{Why does Coach Anzai put up with this ridiculous behaviour?}  
Ryota "Hanamichi, let go!" tries to pull the red head away  
{His strength is enormous}  
Yuki "Oh my ..." chuckles  
  
WHACK! WHACK!! WHACK!!!  
  
Ayako "Sakuragi! Show some respect!" hits the boy with her fan again  
Hanamichi "Ooowww!" covers his head  
{One of these days ... I have to get that fan away from her}  
Ayako "Sensei is asking for your help because he trusts you" scolds the red head  
Hanamichi "The Kitsune is so stubborn that he will never listen" steals a glance at Rukawa  
{Hanamichi! You cannot look at him!!!}  
Kaede "Do'aho ..." looks into Sakuragi's troubled eyes  
{What are you thinking about? I see doubt in your eyes, but I cannot do anything if you choose to say nothing}  
Hanamichi "Teme Kitsune ..." taunts Rukawa half-heartedly  
{How can I turn away if you keep looking at me? What am I going to do?}  
Ayako "I have an idea" points the tip of her fan at Rukawa "Since you cannot play, you can train Ishii, Kuwata & Sasaoka"  
Ryota "Good idea!" agrees with Ayako  
Kaede "No" gazes at the red head "but I can train him"  
{Do you have any idea how many times I thought of you for the past week? I really ...}  
Hanamichi "No" whispers  
{No ... I cannot ...}  
  
What did he say?! All who heard what Rukawa said could not believe their ears. Did he really volunteer to train Sakuragi Hanamichi?!!! The boy had spoken plainly, but his offer was so unexpected that everyone was stunned speechless. There was absolute silence in the sports hall. It was so quiet that everyone could hear the sound of birds chirping in the nearby trees.   
  
Takamiya "Can someone pinch me?" blinks  
{I must be dreaming}  
Noma "I think that I heard something ..." smacks himself  
{Am I awake?}  
Okusu "So did I ..." pinches his fat friend  
{Unbelievable!!!}  
Takamiya "OOWW!!!" rubs his cheek  
{This must be reall ...}  
Yohei "Hanamichi" looks at the red head  
{What is going on between the two of you?}  
  
Rukawa decided that he must have really shocked everyone. Even the horde of screeching girls had shut their mouths. Mitsui was shaking his head. Miyagi had the expression of someone who had swallowed a goldfish. Ayako was staring at him as if he had dyed his hair a bright pink or something just as outrageous. He wondered what would these people say if they knew of his true intentions.   
  
Anzai "Rukawa-kun" looks at the boy  
Yuki "Shit" stares at Rukawa  
{Sly Bastard!}  
Hanamichi "I will not listen to the words of the enemy!" covers his ears  
{Leave me alone}  
Kaede "You will" drags the red head off   
{I swear ... you will}  
Hanamichi "What?! Let go! Kitsune! Let go of me! HELP! HELP!!!" struggles  
{No! What are you doing? What will the others think?!}  
  
At this point, no one would have been able to escape certain death if the ceiling was to collapse on top of him or her. Had Rukawa dragged Sakuragi away? It looked as if such a thing did happen. The people had their mouths opened, but no one said anything. Coach Anzai smiled as he speculated upon the budding friendship between his two favourite students. His years of experience told him that Sakuragi had tremendous talent. The red head was already familiar with the basic skills of the game. He only lacked experience & finesse.   
  
Hisashi "Did you see that?" asks no one in particular  
{The end of the World must be coming ...}  
Ryota "I think so" opens & closes his eyes  
{Was that really Rukawa???}  
Ayako "Rukawa wants to teach Sakuragi?!" laughs with disbelief  
{Maybe the sun will rise from west tomorrow ...}  
Yuki "I will go after them!" looks at the others  
{Bloody hell!!! I cannot let him get the upper hand ...}  
Ryota "No ... leave them alone" takes a deep breath  
{It will be good for the team if they can get along}  
  
Meanwhile, Rukawa released his grip on Sakuragi when they reached the old equipment shed. This shabby looking structure was at back of the old school building. Hardly anyone would come to this area as it was rumoured to be haunted. There was probably no truth in it, but everyone was still wary of the place.  
  
Hanamichi "Stupid Kitsune" rubs the red marks on his arm  
{Why did you bring me here?}  
Kaede "Explain yourself" stares at the red head  
{Tell me the truth}  
Hanamichi "What are you talking about?" looks away   
{I need to get out of here ... away from you}  
Kaede "Why are you avoiding me?" grabs hold of the other boy's chin "Look at me"  
{Damn it ... do you hate me?}  
Hanamichi "No ... I cannot ... forget it" pushes Rukawa away  
{I must escape ... before I say something stupid}  
Kaede "What? ... you do not want to look into my eyes. Why?" slams Sakuragi against the wall  
{What do you want me to forget?}  
Hanamichi "Stop!" struggles  
{No ... please let go}  
Kaede "Tell me why!" pins his quarry to the wall with his body  
{I cannot let you go}  
Hanamichi "........." looks into a pair of beautiful blue eyes  
{Kitsune ...}  
Kaede "I want to do this" kisses the boy "And this ..." licks Sakuragi's parted lips  
{I want you}  
Hanamichi "No ..." pants "Please ..."   
{What am I doing?}  
Kaede "Why not? When you like it" notes the flushed look "Say that you like it"  
{You are mine}  
Hanamichi "Yes ..." surrenders "but I should hate you. All the girls like you ... you beat me at basketball"  
{You used to ignore me all the time ...}  
Kaede "I do not like those girls" tastes the red head lips again  
{I feel nothing for them}  
Hanamichi "I know ... but ..." sighs  
{Why are you doing this?}  
Kaede "I like you" hugs Sakuragi  
{Only you}  
  
Time seemed to stand still as he focused his eyes upon Rukawa. Could he believe him? Was such a thing possible? Or was it just a sick joke? Sakuragi was lost. One part of him was confused & frightened. He wanted to call the boy a liar & shove him as far away as he possibly could. Yet he did no such thing because the other part of him was content.  
  
To Be Continued ... 


	4. Chapter 4 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 4 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: R  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito  
Warning: Bad Language! Sexual References!!!  
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Autumn was her favourite season, but it was over too soon. Most of the trees were bare for winter had arrived. One could say that spring was better, but it was generally a wet period. Summer months were horrible for they would be hot & humid. A sudden gust of cold wind brought her thoughts back to the present. Life was good to Ayako. She was doing very well at school. Her only worry had been the transition of leadership from Akagi Takenori to Miyagi Ryota, but thus far everything had turned out well. The remaining uncertainty was the question of whether Mitsui Hisashi would stay on for another year at Shohoku High. Based on his current grades, the boy had very little chances of getting into the local university.  
  
Someone walked past & nodded at her. The girl waved at the person for she had recognised him. He had just spoken to her two days ago about the team's performance at the forthcoming Cultural Festival. For once, the spotlight was on the basketball club. A recollection of last Monday's rehearsal brought a smile to Ayako's face.  
  
FLASHBACK ********  
  
At the outset the boys had been in favour of setting a food stall during the festivities. Shiozaki was thinking of selling ice-cream pancakes. Ishii had suggested burgers & hotdogs. Then all of these ideas grind to a halt when Ayako said that everyone would have to take turns to do the cooking. The amusing part was that when Sakuragi said the genius (meaning himself) did not need any help with the cooking; the rest of boys had immediately said that they had changed their minds about the food stand. It was an instinctive reaction, but the red head took it personally & went on a head-butting rampage. What happened next? Could anyone have guessed that the flower amongst the thorns saved the day with the help of her trusted fan?   
  
After the episode, everyone agreed to support Ayako's idea of a group performance. They would be singing to the school on that day. Members of the team were gathered in the music room for their first rehearsal. Being the oldest team member, Mitsui was the first person to try out the song. His vocals were better than expected. Everyone was surprised when he confessed rather sheepishly that he used to be a member of the choir in his previous school. His success gave courage to the Year Two students to give it a try. However the results were so bad that it was laughable. Yasuda was so nervous about letting the other hear him sing that he stuttered. Shiozaki was tone-deaf & Kakuta sang too fast. As for Miyagi, the poor boy got hiccups whenever he tried to sing.  
  
Ryota "Mitsui! Shut up!" hiccups   
{Oh Shit!!!}  
Ayako "Heeheehee" tries to stop another wave of laughter "I am sorry"  
Hisashi "Hahahaha! Is that really singing?! Or are you performing hiccups in tune?! Hahahaha!" cackles loudly  
Hanamichi "Bwahahahaha! Wahahaha!" laughs   
Kaede "........." hides a smile  
{Singing may not be such a good idea}  
Ryota "Rukawa! You are NOT allowed to laugh!!!" waves his fist  
{Oh No! What will she think of me now?! Even Rukawa looks as if he is going to laugh}  
  
Could it be the pressure of wanting to do well that prompted those hiccups? That might very well be the reason for the hiccups ended as soon as Miyagi stopped trying to sing. The poor boy was quite crushed by his lack of performance. Ayako was also close to despair when she discovered that Ishii, Kuwata & Sasaoka were not able to do any better.   
  
Ayako "Rukawa, it is now your turn" calls on the next person half-heartedly  
{I cannot give up yet! It is still a good idea ... right?}  
Kaede "........." eyes his ardent fans   
{I do not like to sing ... especially with them around}  
Ayako "Errr ... you can try later ... Sakuragi, it is now your turn ... try singing with feelings" sighs  
{How I am going to get Rukawa to sing?}  
Hanamichi "Hah! I am also a genius when it comes to singing! Bwahahaha!" strikes a pose with the microphone  
{They will be sooo surprised!!!}  
Hisashi "Is that so? I will believe it ... when I hear it" grins  
{Can pigs fly?}  
Hanamichi "Micchy!" turns red "Ehehe! Choir Boooy ..."  
{I am the King of Karaoke}  
  
WHACK! WHACK!! WHACK!!!  
  
Hanamichi "Ooowww ..." rubs his head  
{That hurts ...}  
Hisashi "Serves you right" glares at the red head  
{I knew it ... should not have told them that I was in the choir}  
Ayako "Sakuragi ... start singing" presses the 'play' button on the CD player  
  
It was unreal. Who would have guessed that Sakuragi Hanamichi was really good at singing?! For heaven's sake, the boy was a juvenile delinquent. He was the best fighter in the whole school. With the help of Mito Yohei & the other three boys of his gang, Sakuragi could rule all the student gangs in the area if he really had such an ambition.   
  
Hisashi "What in the world?! He can sing!!!" gawks  
{I wonder if they are any pigs flying around ...}  
Ayako "I do not believe this!" gapes  
{He is a natural tenor ... reaching all the high notes so easily}   
  
Then Yuki took a deep breath & joined Sakuragi at singing the chorus. Though Adachi was a Japanese by birth, he had lived in an English-speaking nation for a number of years. Hence the others had not expected him to be any good at singing Japanese songs. Frankly speaking, they were not looking down upon him at all.   
  
Hisashi "Yuki is good"  
{A powerful baritone ...}  
Ryota "They sing well together" hums the tune  
{If only I can sing without the hiccups ...}  
Ayako "Yes ... they certainly make a good pair" adds her observation  
Kaede "........." stares  
{Ayako ... they are NOT a good pair!}  
  
There was a natural balance in everything. As Rukawa valued peace & quiet more than singing, he avoided public singing. The teenager could still remember what happened the last time that he sang in front of the whole school. The girls went crazy. His nightmare had lasted for many months. He lost count of the number of girls who had confessed their love for him. Some even had the nerve to ask if he could go steady with them. The worst thing was that someone from school had sent a copy of his performance to a recording firm. A representative from that company had hounded him for weeks to sign a recording contract with them. The pestering only stopped when he asked his Father to do something about it. That was a lesson truly well learnt. Since then, Rukawa had effectively ensured that he was not caught in another position where he would have to sing another note in public.   
  
What if the equilibrium of things were disturbed? The answer would be that something unexpected might come about to create a new level of stability. Rukawa was bothered by the remarks regarding Sakuragi & Yuki. The newcomer was very good at implanting impressions into people's heads. He did not want the others to think that those two boys were good together. As a matter of fact, he hated it. Rukawa saw red & he was going to do something about it. Just as everyone was enjoying the song, they heard a third person's voice. It was Rukawa. He was singing along with Sakuragi & Yuki. The girls of the Rukawa fan club gasped as they heard their idol sing.  
  
Hisashi "I do not believe this!" stares  
{Rukawa Kaede ...}  
Ryota "I am dreaming ..." blinks   
{That Rukawa ...}  
Hisashi "He can really sing!" chuckles  
{He is good ...}  
Ayako "He sounds wonderful" looks dreamy  
{Maybe that rumour is true}  
  
The song had ended. There was a brief period of silence. Then madness ensued. Some of the girls were happily crying as they hugged one another. Other girls were squealing like pigs that were about to be slaughtered. Rukawa sighed. Suddenly, it occurred to him that he should have gone to an all boys school. The girls were creating such a racket that it was literally impossible for them to continue rehearsing.   
  
Tetsushi "They are so ..." sighs  
Satoru "I know ..." shakes head  
Yasuharu "Who can blame them?" looks at Rukawa  
Ryota "He did well" nods "Hanamichi & Yuki too"  
{Mitsui is also good ...}  
Hanamichi "Bwahahaha! I am the God of Songs!" poses  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, your voice is made for singing" praises the red head  
{Your voice is so good ... I wonder how you sound like in bed}  
Hanamichi "You think so too?" beams  
Yuki "I have the latest Sony karaoke system. Would you like to try it?" drapes an arm around Sakuragi's shoulders  
{I want to hear you cry out with pleasure}  
Hanamichi "I love karaoke!" nods   
Kaede "Do'aho ..." glares at Yuki  
{You are not getting anywhere near him}  
Hanamichi "Kitsune! Are you jealous that I can sing better than you?!" eyes Rukawa  
Kaede "........." stands between the two boys  
{I am only jealous because you allow him to hold you so closely}  
Hanamichi "Stupid Kitsune!" grumbles  
Kaede "Maybe ..." mutters softly  
{Besides I prefer to hear you moan as I kiss you}  
Yuki "Hey Ace! It is really rude of you to interrupt our conversation" glares  
{FUCK OFF!!!}  
Kaede "........." ignores the comment  
{Do you think that I am an idiot?!}  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun, we can rehearse the song together ... at my place" pulls the red head into his arms  
{I can show you true bliss ...}  
Kaede "He will NOT be going to your house ..." grips Sakuragi's arm  
{Get your hands off him!!!}  
Yuki "Who the hell are you to tell him what to do?!" shouts angrily  
{SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!!}  
  
WHACK! WHACK!! ... WHACK! WHACK!! WHACK!!!  
  
Kaede "........." steps away from Ayako  
{One day I will burn that fan ...}  
Yuki "OW! Stop it!" yells  
{Stupid Bitch hit my head three times!!!}  
Hanamichi "Hehee ... Stupid Kitsune" smirks  
Kaede "........." stomps on the red head's foot  
{She hits me twice & you laugh}  
Ayako "THIS IS A SINGING REHEARSAL! NOT A BRAWLING CONTEST!!!" glares at Rukawa & Yuki  
{What is wrong with Rukawa?!}  
Ryota "Aya-chan is absolutely right!" nods  
{Are they fighting over Hanamichi?!}  
Yuki "I am sorry" apologises "Not sure what came over me"  
{Fuck You! I will only be sorry when hell freezes over)  
  
Except for Rukawa, everyone was fooled by Yuki's act. The eighteen year old was a great pretender. He was very good at faking emotions, which he did not feel. In other words, this person was a charming monster. Though Yuki looked apologetic, the wheels of his mind were actually spinning rapidly to come up with an alternative way of getting the red head into his house.   
  
Kaede "........." fixes his eyes on Yuki  
{If you ever touch him ...}  
Yuki "I have an idea! Why don't you guys come over to my place for rehearsals?" puts on a fake smile  
{One way or the other ...}  
Kaede "........." swears  
{I will hurt you}  
  
Yuki smiled with relief when the others accepted this seemingly generous offer. He shot a look at Rukawa & grinned. The hunt was on & winner takes all.  
  
******** End of Flashback  
  
[Yuki's House]  
This was definitely not the first time that they saw Yuki's house, but they were still awed by the size of it. There was even as indoor swimming pool! The only person who thought nothing of it was Rukawa Kaede. However the boy was not at the last rehearsal because he had to make a trip to Tokyo for a medical review. Yuki was a great host; there were always plenty of drinks & snacks for his guests. Time passed quickly & the rehearsal was soon over. Sakuragi was the last to leave as Yuki had asked for his help to shift some pieces of gym equipment.   
  
Yuki "Thanks for your help" smacks Sakuragi's bottom  
{Nice firm ass}  
Hanamichi "It was nothing" rubs the spot  
{That hurts ...}  
Yuki "Are you free this evening?" throws a can of Pepsi at the red head  
{Come on ... say yes}  
Hanamichi "Yes. Why?" pulls the tab open "SHIT!!!"  
{Oh great ... I just spilled the drink}  
Yuki "Do you want to party?" stares  
{Oooh ...}  
Hanamichi "Karaoke?" licks the Pepsi from his hand  
{Tastes a little salty}  
Yuki "No ... it will be a wild party. Do you dare to come?" grins  
{Are you playing with me?}  
Hanamichi "Do I dare?" hesitates  
{Just you & me ...}  
Yuki "Are you scared of me?" mops the drops of perspiration off his toned chest  
{You should be ...}  
Hanamichi "Me? No way!" laughs  
{Sounds like a date ...}  
Yuki "Come on ... both of us stink" leads the way to the bathroom  
{It will just be the two of us}  
  
He was not surprised when Sakuragi declined to share a soak in the tub. Then the red head asked if he could use the shower cubicle. Needless to say, Yuki had said yes. He had seen the mixed expressions of the other boy's face when the latter caught sight of his erection. The dark-haired boy smiled.   
  
[Bellini's Trattoria, Roppongi]  
How could such a thing be possible? Sakuragi Hanamichi had been rejected by a total of fifty girls in just three years?!!! Yuki had a whole lot of difficulty swallowing the story. What was wrong with those girls? That lot of females must have been as blind as bats. It was either that or the red head had changed tremendously during the last seven months. Were they not able to appreciate what he was seeing? The person sitting in front of him had a fine body, striking looks & a vibrant personality.   
Had his tremendous appetite scared them off?   
  
Yuki "Shall I ask them to serve the steak now?" signals the waitress  
{Amazing!!! ... three starters, four first courses, a whole roasted rabbit ...}  
Hanamichi "........." makes an 'okay' sign  
Yuki "You can bring the steak with oregano tomato sauce" lifts his wine glass  
{The cash is yours if ...}  
Waitress "Yes ... Sir ... as you wish" grins  
{Stop giving me that look ... I know what to do}   
  
Was her name Selena? Or was it something else? Yuki was briefly acquainted with this twenty-five year old lady. The encounter had only lasted for twenty minutes. In return for her oral services, he paid her 10,000 yen. The woman wanted the money & he needed an outlet for his lust. It was a mutually beneficial relationship with no strings attached. He had been a little surprised to hear that she was working as a waitress at an Italian restaurant. Then he had offered her an opportunity to earn another 20,000 yen.  
  
Waitress "Sir, your order for ..." drops the platter of meat on Sakuragi  
{Just watch me ...}  
Hanamichi "WHAT?!!!" stares at the sticky mess  
Waitress "I am so sorry" makes a fake attempt to clean the mess  
{Oh dear ... I just made it worse ...}  
Hanamichi "HEY! STOP! THE CLOTH IS DIRTY!!!" grabs hold of her wrists  
Restaurant owner "What is happening here?" takes a look "Oh dear!!!"  
Hanamichi "........." fumes  
Restaurant owner "I am so sorry for this. Please follow me" offers to help   
  
Everyone had stared in horrified sympathy as the red head walked past the other tables. There was a huge patch of tomato sauce on the crotch of his light-coloured denim jeans. It was a total disaster. The owner of the restaurant knew that it was impossible to remove the stain without soaking the boy's jeans in cold water with loads of detergent.  
  
Waitress "I am sooo sorry about the 'accident' ..." appears to cry  
{That was fun ...}  
Yuki "Quit the act ... you did very well" smiles  
{Using his dirty napkin to make it even more messy ...)  
Waitress "Thank you" grins  
{I am not doing it for free}  
Yuki "This is yours" hands over 20,000 yen "You can be a good actress"  
{I wonder if it is as bad as it looks ...}  
  
Sounds of a familiar voice alerted the conspirators that the red head had come out of the washroom. The woman paled as she saw that Sakuragi was holding her boss in the air by his collar. By the looks of it, the boy was really very angry.   
  
Hanamichi "LOOK AT THIS STAIN! HOW DO YOU INTEND TO COMPENSATE ME?!" shakes his victim  
Restaurant owner "Sir ..." chokes "I am most willing to pay for the laundry costs. Please accept my humble apologies"  
Waitress "........." trembles  
{Compensation? Is he a member of the yakuza?!!!}  
Hanamichi "WHAT?! DO YOU EXPECT ME TO GO HOME WITHOUT ANY PANTS?!!!" slams the man against the wall  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun ... let go of him" pats the red head's shoulder  
Hanamichi "Yuki ... but what about this?" frowns  
Yuki "I must bear part of the responsibility ... I brought you to this place" sighs  
Hanamichi "It is not your fault at all" eyes the owner of the restaurant  
Yuki "I insist ... " smiles  
  
Fortunately, Yuki was very persuasive & Sakuragi soon released his iron grip on the man.   
  
[Blue Note, Roppongi]  
Sakuragi sighed with relief as soon as he followed Yuki into the shop. He had spent the last fifteen minutes glaring at anyone whose eyes lingered too long upon his person. The boy was very conscious about the reddish patch on his jeans. The positioning of that particular stain had made an uncomfortable situation worse.   
  
Yuki "Sakuragi-kun ..." pushes the boy into a room   
{What are you thinking about?}  
Hanamichi "What is this? A fitting room?" bounces up & down on the two-seater sofa  
{Hehe! This is nice ...}  
Yuki "Of couse ... a room for two. Yours ... & this is mine" points to 2 piles of clothing  
{Stop fooling around ...}  
Hanamichi "........." picks up the items slowly  
{These look expensive}  
Yuki "Try it on ..." unbuttons his shirt  
{I have very good taste}  
Hanamichi "Okay" takes off his jeans "Oh no! Even my boxers are dirty!"   
{It even smells like that stupid sauce ...}  
Yuki "........." smiles "Try this ... it is designed to be worn without any underwear"   
{I like it when you blush}  
Hanamichi "........." tugs at the pants with all his strength "Help ... it is stuck!"   
{Is my butt too big? This is embarrassing!}  
Yuki "........." snorts "The zip is supposed to be at the back" pulls the pants down to Sakuragi's feet  
{You look so good in this lighting ... soft skin ... slender waist ... long legs. Oh Shit! I am getting hard}  
Hanamichi "Heheheh ... Tensai is always open to new things" scratches his head  
{Why are you staring at my thing?}  
Yuki "Is that so?" wets his lips "Then I really look forward to teaching you everything"   
{You will really be 'opened' when I bury my cock into your ass}  
  
The boy had never tried so many suits in his life. Two-piece suits. Three-piece suits. Multi-piece suits. Regular suits. Non-conventional suits. One of the outfits was downright weird. Eventually the two boys finally agreed upon a dark emerald suit that did not look so conservative. As they walked down the street of shops, they heard a familiar voice.  
  
Yohei "Hanamichi! Is that you?!" stares  
{Incredible!!!}  
Hanamichi "Yohei ... how do I look?" turns one complete round  
Yohei "Nice ... I cannot believe my eyes! Where did you get the suit? It looks pricey" touches the fabric  
{It must be expensive}  
Hanamichi "Yuki bought it for me!" beams  
Yohei "Yuki? ... he paid for it?" wonders  
{Why? This suit must be at least 400,000 yen}  
Hanamichi "Yes! Yohei, do you want to come along?" nods "We are going to this place called 'Mirage' ..."  
Yohei "Not today ... I am meeting the gang in Shibuya. Oh no! I am late! Bye!" runs off  
{I must ask him about Yuki tomorrow ...}  
  
As the train sped towards Shibuya station, Mito kept on wondering if he had made the right decision. Was it safe to leave his dearest friend with Adachi Yuki? Why not?   
  
[Shizenkan, Shibuya]  
This was a modest eatery that served tasty & inexpensive food in Shibuya. The only disadvantage was that the menu was limited to just a few items. Perhaps this was the reason why the proprietor was able to keep the prices down. He must be purchasing the raw ingredients in bulk. When Mito stepped into the place, he spotted his friends sitting at a table by the window. The boy wondered if he should discuss his worries with them.  
  
Takamiya "Yohei!" waves  
Yohei "I just saw Hanamichi & Yuki!" sits down  
Noma "So what? They are in the same team" sips his drink  
Yohei "I know, but something is not right. Yuki is ..." shrugs  
Noma "Nice to Hanamichi?" burps  
Yohei He is too nice. That guy just bought a very, very expensive suit for Hanamichi" complains  
Okusu "Then something must be wrong with his eyes. It sounds like he is treating our Hanamichi like a girl" smirks  
Takamiya "Hey look! Is that Rukawa?" points to the doorway  
Waiter "I am sorry, but the tables are full" looks up the tall boy  
Kaede "........." points to the vacant seat beside the boys  
{They are all here ... but where is that do'aho?}  
  
No one knew what to say as Rukawa settled into the seat beside Yohei. They had not expected the boy to sit with them. Four pairs of eyes stared at the basketball player with the same set of questions in their minds. Was he really Rukawa Kaede? Why was Rukawa at their table? Then Noma decided to break the awkward silence by asking Yohei a question about Sakuragi & his newfound friend.  
  
Noma "So where are they going?" stirs his drink  
Yohei "Some place called 'Mirage' ..." glances through the menu  
Okusu "I have never heard of it. What kind of place is it?" talks with his mouth full of food  
Takamiya "Yuki is bringing Hanamichi to that place?" bites his bottom lip  
Okusu "What place is that? A karaoke bar?" looks at his portly friend  
Takamiya "A complicated place. My cousin went undercover into this Mirage once ... drugs ..." stares at his bowl of noodles  
Yohei "I am worried" puts the menu down  
  
Nobody said anything, as each one was lost in his thoughts. Suddenly Rukawa grabbed hold of Yohei's wrist.   
  
Yohei "Rukawa?! What are you doing? Let go!" tries to pull away  
{What is wrong with you?!}  
Kaede "Where is this place?" stares at Yohei  
{Are you his friend?! How could you let Yuki bring him to that kind of place?!!! If anything happens to Do'aho ...}  
Takamiya "Roppongi Station ..." describes the location  
Noma "What is wrong with him?" shakes head  
Okusu "Rukawa is angry & ... frightened???" shrugs  
Yohei "The way he looked at me ..." rubs his wrist  
{He may be as strong as Hanamichi}  
Takamiya "I think that he is worried about Sakuragi ..." removes his spectacles  
Noma "Rukawa cares about Sakuragi?" blinks  
Yohei "........." shudders   
{For once, Takamiya may be right ...}  
  
To Be Continued ... 


	5. Chapter 5 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 5 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: R  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito  
Warning: Bad Language! Blatant Sexual References!!!  
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
[Mirage, Roppongi]  
In the daytime, Roppongi was no different from other parts of Tokyo. It had its share of offices, shops & buildings that provided public services to the people. However the face of this ward would be very different from the other areas of the city at night. Roppongi could be said to be Tokyo's current active nexus of sin. The most obvious would be the sight of women selling themselves on the streets outside bars, massage parlours & sex shops. The services of attractive men could also be found in a handful of establishments if a person knew where to search for them. Clubs such as Hub & Luners were more discreet as much of its clientele needed & valued privacy. Mirage was a private nightclub. The staff at the door would only admit two types of people into the premises, members & their guests.   
  
A look at his friend's face told Yuki that the boy had never been to such a place. The older boy smiled to himself. A strange emotion unfurled in his chest as he looked at Sakuragi. Was he ever liked this person beside him? If there was such a time, it had been a long time ago. The past was gone. Yuki quickly shook off this mood as the red head took a step forward. Mirage consisted of a system of interconnecting rooms. Each of these rooms was unique. The red head's eyes became as round as saucers when he stepped into the 'Rainforest'. All the waiters & waitresses were dressed in animal skins. Some even had snakes wrapped around their bodies.   
  
Hanamichi "Yuki! Are they real?!" points   
{Tanks full of snakes!}  
Yuki "Yes ... do you like snakes?" puts a hand on Sakuragi's hip  
Hanamichi "........." shakes head "EEEEEEEEE!"  
{THERE IS A ... THERE IS A SNAKE ON ME!}  
Waitress "Hi ... he is quite harmless" pats her pet python  
Yuki "My friend is new here" smiles  
Waitress "Oh ... I am sorry if he has frightened you" pulls the reptile off the boy's shoulders  
Hanamichi "........." shudders  
{I hate snakes ...}  
Yuki "Come on ... follow me" leads the red head out of the 'Amazon Room'  
  
The next room was called 'Rendezvous'. What was it like? Would there be more snakes? He hoped not. The boy heaved a sigh of relief as he took a look around the area. Though this room was much darker than the others, he did not spot any snakes. However he had noticed two neon bands in Yuki's hand.   
  
Yuki "This is yours" slips a red band around Sakuragi's wrist  
{It will make sure that no one else touches you}  
Hanamichi "Huh?" blinks "Why?"  
{What is the purpose of this thing?}  
Yuki "Follow me" leads Sakuragi into the dimly lit room "I will show you"  
{My world ...}  
Hanamichi "I can hardly see anything except for these things" complains "The green ones look nicer"  
{Though the blue ones give off more light ...}  
  
When Yuki laughed at his comment, the boy frowned at his friend. The taller boy grinned as he sensed Sakuragi's annoyance. Just as the red head opened his mouth to demand an explanation for the laughter, Yuki told him that the staff in the room wore blue bands. So if any of the customers needed anything such as cigarettes or drinks, they would just have to get hold of someone with blue neon bands around their wrist.  
  
Hanamichi "Okay ... but I prefer green" walks carefully ahead  
{My hair is red. My basketball jersey is red. My sneakers are red ...}  
Yuki "Do you know the meaning of the red & green bands?" chuckles  
{I do not think that you are ready for them}  
Hanamichi "Ummm ...no" follows Yuki  
{What is so funny?!}  
Yuki "Red means that we are not interested in others" grins "Green bands are for those who want some fun & action"  
{Even if you are ... I am not prepared to share you with others}   
Hanamichi "Fun ... sounds good. I have lots of fun at pachinko shops" sits down beside Yuki  
{This is really comfortable}  
Yuki "Hahahaha!" whispers a more detailed explanation into Sakuragi's ear  
{Get it now?}  
Hanamichi "What???!!!" feels his ears heating up  
{Fun & action means sex?!!!}  
Yuki "Hahahaha! I bet that you are blushing right now" touches the boy's cheek  
{I am right}  
Hanamichi "Who ... who says so?! Tensai does not blush so easily! I am not a girl" pushes the hand away  
{Oh no ... my face must be red}  
Yuki "I know that you are not a girl ... but ..." blows into Sakuragi's ear  
{You look cute when you blush}  
  
Yuki knew that he was taking a risk by doing something like that. There was a fifty-fifty chance that this action would anger the other person. Fortunately, the boy just laughed nervously & leaned away from him. The next hour passed very quickly as the boys talked & sipped their drinks. Sakuragi was soon feeling light-headed, as he had drunk a number of different cocktails & shooters.   
  
Hanamichi "What is this?!" coughs  
{My throat is burning!}  
Yuki "It is called 'Rainbow' ..." sips his glass of vodka "Do you want some more?"  
{The last glass ...}  
Hanamichi "Wait ..." leans back into the soft leather "I feel hot"  
{How many did I have? Eight? Ten???}  
Yuki "I can make you feel better" turns the boy's face towards him   
{Trust me}  
Hanamichi "Better? ... please ... so hot" moans  
{Burning up}  
Yuki "Yes ..." unbuttons Sakuragi's shirt "How do you feel?"  
{Your skin feels so hot}  
Hanamichi "Hot ... cold" shivers in the cold air  
{Am I going to be sick?}  
Yuki "How about this?" touches the boy's nipple with an ice cube  
{I will make you feel so good}  
Hanamichi "Ahhh ..." flinches away from the cold  
{Yohei is going to scold me if I throw up at him}  
Yuki "You like it?" pushes an ice cube into Sakuragi's mouth with his tongue   
{Show you many things}  
Hanamichi "Hmmm ... Kitsune" deepens the kiss  
{Stupid Kitsune ...}  
Yuki "What?!" stops kissing  
{Kitsune?! Rukawa?!! NO!!!}  
Hanamichi "Kitsune? ... why ... stop???" pouts  
{You said that you like me}  
Yuki "Rukawa is not here! I am Yuki! Yuki!" pinches the red head's nipples  
{Do you feel this?!}  
Hanamichi "........." tries to push the aggressor away  
{Pain!}  
Yuki "I am Yuki" slips a hand into the boy's pants "I am touching your cock!"  
{Making you hard}  
  
POW!!!  
  
Yuki "Shit! What the fuck?!" holds head  
{What hit me?!}  
Kaede "........." kicks Yuki  
{Bastard!}  
Yuki "OOOF!" falls off the side of the sofa "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"  
{I will get you for this!}  
  
All conversation stopped at once. Everyone knew that there was a fight, but they could only hear Yuki cursing & shouting at the top of his voice. What was the cause of the fight? Who was the attacker? Why was that person not saying a single word? Suddenly the lights came on & Yuki was able to see the face of his attacker. Then a burly man grabbed hold of Yuki before the boy could lunge at Rukawa.  
  
Yuki "YOU!" struggles  
Kaede "........." stares back  
Yuki "I WILL KILL YOU FOR THIS! YOU SON OF A BITCH!" kicks out at Rukawa  
Kaede "........." sidesteps  
Security man "Sirs ... calm yourselves" looks at the boys "Or we may have to call the police"  
Yuki "FUCK YOU! I AM A MEMBER OF THIS CLUB!" shouts at the man  
Club manager "Sir, I am sorry ... but there is to be no fighting" motions for the burly man to release Yuki  
  
Was it wise to do so? It might not be the best thing under the present set of circumstances, but the Club Manager had recognised Yuki as a regular at the club. Seconds after his release, Yuki made another attack on Rukawa, but the latter was prepared for it. A well-aimed kick to Yuki's chest sent the boy flying backwards. Then Rukawa walked away.  
  
Kaede "........." notes Sakuragi's dishevelled state "Do'aho"  
{Idiot! Do you realise what he could have done to you?!}  
Hanamichi "Kit ... Kitsune" holds on to Rukawa "Please ..."  
{Why did you stop?}  
Kaede "We are getting out of here" pulls the red head to his feet  
{Before I kiss you in front of everybody}  
Hanamichi "Why???" pouts  
{Kiss me ...}  
Kaede "........." looks at Sakuragi with a pained expression "Because I say so"  
{Stop giving me that look!}  
  
Though it was not an easy thing to do, Rukawa managed to get Sakuragi out of the place. Then he quickly flagged a taxi & brought the red head back to his apartment in Kanagawa.   
  
[Rukawa's Apartment, Kanagawa]  
Despite of the ache in his side, he still managed to get the boy into his room. As soon as Sakuragi's head touched the pillow, he started howling a song. The red head was singing the makeshift tune about him being a genius & so on. It was a truly terrible song. What had inspired such terrible lyrics? Rukawa could not think of anything that sounded worse. Finally he grabbed hold of a basketball & threw it at the singer to make him stop. Fortunately, it worked. Rukawa sighed with relief as he took out a set of pyjamas from the drawer.  
  
Kaede " Do'aho" ruffles the boy's hair "Wake up"  
{What did he do to you?}  
Hanamichi "Hmmm?" rubs face against Rukawa's hand "Meeew"  
Kaede "........." mutters "Bad kitty"  
{Very bad kitty}  
Hanamichi "Aaahhh" yawns  
Kaede "I am going to get you out of those clothes" starts undressing the red head  
{The things that I do for you ...}  
  
The moment that his fingers brushed against Sakuragi's skin, something akin to an electric shock ran through his system. Then Rukawa found that he did enjoy touching this other person. His movements stopped when he discovered that he also liked to undress the red head.  
  
Kaede "Sakuragi" whispers "What if I am no different from Yuki?"  
{Did you enjoy his kisses?}  
Hanamichi "Kitsune ..." smiles  
Kaede "........." takes a deep breath "I am not like him"  
{I hope so ...}  
  
Two things stopped him from a further exploration of Sakuragi's body. The first was his pride. As his hands moved, Rukawa kept telling himself that he was a better person than Yuki & so he must not give into temptation. Most importantly, he wanted the other boy to need him, his kisses & his touch. There must be mutual consent & desire.   
  
Kaede "I am such an idiot" turns on the radio   
{To get turned on by a guy}  
Hanamichi "Silly Kitsune" mumbles in his sleep  
Kaede "........." sighs "I need a cold shower"  
{What am I to you?}   
  
I want somebody to share  
Share the rest of my life  
Share my innermost thoughts  
Know my intimate details  
  
Kaede "Do I want somebody to share the rest of my life?" looks at the snoring boy "This idiot?"  
{Maybe ... will you laugh at me if you know my innermost thoughts?}  
  
Someone who will stand by my side  
And give me support  
And in return  
He'll get my support  
  
Kaede "It will be a new kind of experience to have someone by my side" walks to the bathroom  
{Are you willing to give me that kind of support?}  
  
He will listen to me  
When I want to speak  
About the world we live in  
And life in general  
Though my views may be wrong  
They may even be perverted  
He will hear me out  
And won't easily be converted  
  
Kaede "This means that I need to talk more ... my views" turns on the shower  
{We will probably fight a lot ... you are always so stubborn}  
  
To my way of thinking  
In fact he will often disagree  
But at the end of it all   
He will understand me  
  
Kaede "I suppose that I do want him to understand me" stares at a bottle of shampoo  
{But do you want to? The kind of person that I am ...}  
  
I want somebody who cares  
For me passionately  
With every thought & with every breath  
Someone who will help me see things  
In a different light  
All the things I detest  
I will almost like  
  
Kaede "I have really changed" sighs "Do'aho ... I see things differently because of you"  
{Your passion for life is contagious ... I feel for you ... I feel because of you ... I want you}  
  
I don't want to be tied  
To anyone's strings  
I carefully try to steer clear  
Of those things  
  
Kaede "I have steered clear of troublesome women" pulls a face  
{Only to be caught by an idiot ... how ironic}  
  
But when I'm asleep  
I want somebody  
Who will put their arms around me  
And kiss me tenderly  
And things like this   
Make me sick  
In a case like this  
I'll get away with it  
  
Kaede "Okay ... I admit it" speaks to no one in particular "The self-centred fool may be in love with an idiot"  
{But if he ever calls me a fool ... I will kick his ass}  
  
What is love? Had he really fallen in love with this male person beside him? Or was it just a crush? Would such a situation last? Rukawa had many questions with no answers, but eventually he too fell asleep. The colour of sky slowly turned from the darkest shade of blue to light azure. When the sun finally shone its rays on Sakuragi, the boy yawned & stretched his arms out. Then he froze as his hand came into contact with something that was smooth & warm. What was it? He opened his eyes & shrieked.  
  
Hanamichi "EEEEEE!" clamps both hands over mouth to avoid waking Rukawa  
{KITSUNE!!! Why is he here? Is it really him? Or a dummy?}  
Kaede "........." keeps still  
{Too late ... you have woke me up}  
  
Rukawa's first thought was to kick the noisy fellow out of his bed, but he did not. Thanks to the hair that was covering the top part of his face, he was able to observe Sakuragi's antics without being discovered. Gradually, the red head relaxed his 'Speak No Evil' position. Then the boy took a few deep breaths of air & looked around the room.   
  
Hanamichi "Where am I?" scratches his head  
{This is not my place}  
Kaede "........." sighs softly  
{Idiot! You are in my room}  
Hanamichi "Is this a joke?" thinks "Are you the real Kitsune?"  
{Or just a dummy?}  
  
Reaching out his hand, Sakuragi poked the person's arm softly. Was this really Rukawa Kaede? Or was it a lifelike mannequin? He decided to lift the covers to get a closer look. Seconds later, he dropped the blanket like a piece of hot coal. Then he displayed a 'See No Evil' pose. He had discovered that both of them were naked!!!  
  
Hanamichi "I did not see anything" repeats "I did not see anything"  
{He is not wearing anything. I am not wearing anything ...}  
Kaede "........." reaches out with his hand  
{I want to touch you}  
Hanamichi "Yaaa!" squeaks in surprise  
{WHY ... WHY IS HE TOUCHING MY ... MY ... ???!!!}  
Kaede '........." moves his fingers around the tip of Sakuragi's hardening cock  
{Do you want me to stop?}  
Hanamichi "Kit ... Kitsune" moans "Aaahhh ..."  
{DOES HE KNOW THAT HE IS ... !!! ARGH! HOW CAN HE BE SLEEPING AT THIS TIME?!!!}  
Kaede "........." peeks at Sakuragi  
{I know that you like this ...}  
Hanamichi "Mmm ..." whimpers  
{I want ... I want to ...}  
Kaede "........." sees Sakuragi biting his knuckles  
{I must be quite good ...}  
Hanamichi "Oh shit!" jumps off the bed   
{I cannot!}  
  
It was by accident that he knocked a jug of water off the table. Time seemed to slow as he watched the glass jug hit the floor & smashed into several pieces. With hands pressed against his ears, Sakuragi froze in a 'Hear No Evil' position. He had temporarily forgotten about his 'erected' problem.   
  
Hanamichi "Oh no!" makes a face "I am dead meat"  
{Is he awake?}  
Kaede "........." stares  
{Nice view ... if only I have a camera}  
Hanamichi "Look ... it was an accident" notices the predatory look on Rukawa's face  
{Why is he giving me that ... OH NO!}  
Kaede "Okay" wets his lips "Come here"  
{I want ... to taste you}  
Hanamichi "Why?" puts hands in front to cover his erect organ   
{Down boy ... stop jerking about. For goodness sake! This person is Rukawa Kaede!}  
Kaede "........." pulls the red head towards him  
{So that I can do this ...}  
  
Sakuragi shivered visibly as he felt Rukawa's hands upon his skin. There was no escape from the owner of those eyes & lips. Now he understood what drove the girls wild. The person standing in front of him was a very attractive man. He had to admit this because there was no way for him to deny his physical response to the guy.   
  
Hanamichi "Why ..." whispers  
{I want ...}  
Kaede "Sssh ..." pushes his tongue into Sakuragi's mouth  
{Just feel ...}  
Hanamichi "Aaahhh ..." moans  
{Please ...}  
Kaede "........." moves fingers around the boy's nipple in a circular motion  
{You are mine}  
Hanamichi "Kit ..." gasps  
{Driving me crazy ... what now?}  
Kaede "You want this" wets the tip of the red head's cock with his tongue   
{Your body needs me}  
  
Suddenly the spell was broken as the phone started ringing loudly. Sakuragi blushed as reality set in. Rukawa frowned at the phone, but he made no move to answer it. Seconds later, the caller was heard leaving a voice message on the answering machine.   
  
'Rukawa? Are you awake yet? ... RUKAWA!!! We have a dress rehearsal today. Are you there? RUKAWA!!!'  
  
Ayako had called to remind the boy that he had to attend the final practice at school.   
  
[Shohoku High School]  
At ten o'clock sharp, the gates were opened to welcome its first visitors for the day. Free balloons were given out to the first hundred visitors. Most of the stalls were also selling food at special prices from ten to eleven o'clock. When the clock struck twelve, the guest numbers had far outnumbered the student population. Everyone was busy except for those who had been exempted from class participation for one reason or another. Sakuragi had spent the last hour wandering around alone. As the boy was bored to tears, he popped back into the classroom to wait for Mito Yohei to finish his shift.  
  
Hanamichi "Hey!" waves   
Yohei "Hanamichi, have you seen the girls from our class?" stretches tired muscles  
{My feet are killing me!}  
Hanamichi "Why?" shakes head  
Yohei "They are late" looks at the clock "Our shift ended half an hour ago"  
{Where are those girls?!}  
Male classmate 1 "Do we have to wait for them?" groans  
Yohei "Yes ... or we will all get into trouble" sighs "Stop complaining"  
{At least you do not have to serve tables ...}  
Hanamichi "Do you need my help?" does a couple of exercises "I am sooo bored"  
Yohei "Are you sure?" eyes the red head  
{You must be really be bored to death}  
Male classmate 1 "You?" thinks "Customers must be treated with respect. Can you do it?"  
Hanamichi "Of course! I am a multi-talented genius!" laughs  
Male classmate 2 "You?!" blinks "Sakuragi Hanamichi?!!!"  
Hanamichi "YES! ME! SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!" roars "BASKETBALL GENIUS!"  
Male classmate 2 "This is not a game of basketball" ties up a bag of garbage  
Hanamichi "........." glares at the boy "ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I AM AN IDIOT?!"  
  
The look in Sakuragi's eyes & the tone of his voice brought the boy to his senses. He had insulted the red head. He had just snubbed the person who was feared by all the student gangs in the school. It was not his intention to annoy the guy, but he was too lethargic to think straight.   
  
Yohei "Hanamichi!" throws a pen & writing pad to the red head "I need your help"  
{Hope this works to distract him}  
Hanamichi "Huh? ... but that ..." looks to & fro between Yohei & the offensive individual  
Yohei "Basket Man ... the next customer that comes through that door is yours" pats Sakuragi "Okay?"  
{I will stuff that fool's mouth with wasabi if he says another word}  
Hanamichi "........." makes a face "Okay"  
Yohei "Welcome!" greets the new group of customers  
{Foreigners ...}  
Hanamichi "What is your order?" stares at the five people  
Yohei "........." smiles nervously  
{Oh dear ... he sounds so ... but why is that old man staring at Hanamichi?}  
Blond "Five of the teriyaki chicken box, four coffees & a cup tea" states his order  
  
Then the strangest thing happened when Sakuragi was helping Mito in serving food & drinks to the customers. Suddenly the old man grabbed hold of Sakuragi's wrist. What was the foreigner trying to do? The man could be around sixty years old, but he did not have the look of someone who was out of his mind.  
  
Old man "What is your name?" speaks in English  
Hanamichi "Eh?" looks at Yohei "What is he saying? His English is different"  
Yohei "Huh?" wonders if he should ask the stranger to repeat his question  
Old man "We will talk later" lets go of Sakuragi  
  
Even after the group of foreigners left, Yohei was still uneasy about the incident. It was obvious that the man had tried to communicate with the red head.   
  
To Be Continued ... 


	6. Chapter 6 of 6

Title: SEASONS OF CHANGE  
Series: 1  
Chapter: 6 of 6  
Author: Mist  
Genre: Yaoi   
Pairing: RuHana/HanaRu  
Rating: R  
Archive: SD Fic ; Fanfiction.Net  
Email: myst_sg@yahoo.com  
Disclaimer: SD characters belong to Inoue Takehito ; The song 'Somebody' belongs to Depeche Mode  
Warning: Bad Language!   
Note to readers: This is a series of shounen-ai/yaoi fiction. Hence if you decide to read it, I think that you (the reader) are receptive towards homosexual fan fiction. So please do not email flames to me (the author) ... For those who have other comments & opinions, I welcome your feedback ... Thank you ... ^_^ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
[Shohoku High School]  
The food & fun fair had ended, which meant that it was time to get the whole place tidied up. The students had two hours for the task of restoring the school to its original appearance. Kogure sighed as he walked past the classrooms of the second year students. He saw that Ayako was helping out with the cleaning, whilst Miyagi worshipped her from afar. The bespectacled boy was feeling down for he knew that this phase of his life was almost over. If it was possible, Kogure wished that he could pursue the next stage of his studies in Shohoku in the company of friends.   
  
Takenori "Kogure ..." sits beside the boy  
{What are you thinking about now?}  
Kiminobu "I will miss all this" smiles with trace of sadness   
Takenori "Time flies ... there was a time when you thought that I was a senior member of the basketball club" stretches arms  
{We have known each other for seven years ...}  
Kiminobu "Yes" sips soda from a can "A thought just came into my mind"  
Takenori "What?" pops a piece of red bean candy into his mouth  
{If everything goes well, we will be university classmates for another four years}  
Kiminobu "Sakuragi is very much like you" throws the empty can into a basket  
Takenori "What?!" frowns slightly "That boy is nothing like me"  
{Sakuragi is a troublemaker ... I am not}  
Kiminobu "Do you remember our first practice match? You played against Mitsui" grins "Instead of dribbling ... you kicked the ball"  
Takenori "Hmph!" makes a face  
{That was a mistake ...}  
Kiminobu "Sakuragi did the same thing too ... that time when you challenged him to a match" chuckles  
Takenori "........." glowers  
{Everyone makes mistakes}  
  
Was there was no way for him to stop Kogure from comparing all of his past blunders on the basketball court with Sakuragi's mistakes? Akagi had thought of threatening the boy with bodily harm unless he shut up, but such a tactic was really quite useless. The person would surely see the warning as a joke. The other alternative was to gag the boy, but it would look really strange to the others. Who knows what sort of rumours would start circulating the school if the girls saw him doing something like that. A number of girls at school had a tendency to romanticize everything.  
  
Kiminobu "How about that incident when you jumped up to block a shot & landed on me?" grins  
Takenori "I slipped ... the floor was slippery" protests  
{Can you please stop?}  
Kiminobu "Sakuragi did the same thing in our practice match with Ryonan" laughs "He was so nervous that he landed on Uozumi"  
Takenori "Kogure ... stop comparing me with that monkey!" glares at a passer-by  
{Shoo! Go away! This is none of your business!}  
Kiminobu "Come on" looks at Akagi seriously "You must admit that he has become very important to the team"  
Takenori "........." sighs  
{True ... he is good at rebounds}  
Kiminobu "I do not think that we could have defeated Sannoh without Sakuragi" reminds his friend  
Takenori "Maybe" chews on a piece of green tea candy  
{Rukawa ... & Sakuragi}  
Kiminobu "He has great potential. Do you think that he is serious about playing in the NBA?" studies the box of candy  
Takenori "Who knows ... but it is easier said than done" holds up the box "Want some?"  
{Besides skills ... he must also get sponsorship into the colleges, universities}  
Kiminobu "Thanks" takes a slice of red bean candy "I suppose Coach Anzai will help him"  
Takenori "Even so ... his grades are so low" shakes head  
{How can a person fail all seven subjects?!}  
Kiminobu "The stumbling block ..." yawns "But if his family can help him"   
Takenori "We know nothing of his family ..." thinks back  
{We never talk about personal matters}  
  
Half an hour later, trouble erupted in the concert hall. It all started when the Head of the AVA club informed Ayako that someone had misplaced their cassette tape. The boy was very apologetic, but being sorry was no help at all. How was everyone going to sing without the music?   
  
Ayako "What?!" grips her fan "Are you sure?!"   
{Oh great ...}  
Chairman "Well ..." hesitates "We are still searching for it"   
Hisashi "Is there a problem?" looks curiously at Ayako  
Ayako "He says that they may have lost our music tape" says flatly  
{What a disaster}  
Ryota "How can this happen?! We need that tape an hour from now!" grimaces  
Hisashi "We cannot sing without the music!" glares at the bringer of bad news  
Hanamichi "What is going on here?" takes a quick look around  
Hisashi "This guy told Ayako that he has lost our tape!" scowls  
Hanamichi "WHAT?!" glowers   
Chairman "I .. I am sor ... ry" stutters in fright  
Hanamichi "YOU will be VERY SORRY IF YOU do not find that tape!!!" picks the boy up by the collar  
Yuki "Where did you guys put the tape?" questions the boy  
Chairman "I ... I ..." chokes  
Hanamichi "Do YOU understand me?" shakes the boy  
Kaede "........." stares at the boy coldly  
  
Who was going to save him from certain death in the hands of the red head? Was anyone brave or kind enough to rescue him? The Head of the AVA club trembled as he looked into his captor's eyes. There was no doubt about. Sakuragi Hanamichi was very angry & nobody wanted to interfere with the boy's fury. Then the teacher who was in-charge of the event ordered the members of the basketball club to get Sakuragi to release the poor boy. In principal, Mr Murasaki was correct, but he was not looking at the problem in its proper context. The man stared hard at the students, but no one moved.  
  
Hisashi "........." shrugs  
{Who are you to command us? Do it yourself if you want to ...}  
Ayako "........." fans herself in anger  
{Why should I? Do you know how much time I spent searching for the tunes?}   
Ryota "........." takes a glance at Ayako  
{I will not help anyone who annoys her}  
Kaede "........." looks at the red head  
{Adults can be so stupid ...}  
Yuki "You must be joking" flips his hair over the shoulder  
  
What were these students thinking about? Were they just going to ignore him? Suddenly the teacher saw the reality of the situation. The primary members of the team had no intention of carrying out his instructions & the remaining boys were too scared to do so. Then someone spoke up.  
  
Kaede "Do'aho ..." stands in front of Sakuragi  
Hanamichi "Rrrrrr" shakes the older boy "Huh? Kitsune??"   
{What? What is it?}  
Hisashi "........." wonders  
{Rukawa ... what are you doing?}  
Kaede "He has fainted" points at limp body in the red head's grasp  
Hanamichi "Oh! I see" frowns "But it is his fault"   
{He lost the tape}  
Ayako "........." thinks  
{Is Rukawa helping?}  
Kaede "You can continue this later when he wakes up" knocks the unconscious boy on the head  
Hanamichi "Hmmm ... okay" drops his victim on the floor  
{It will probably be more fun ...}  
Ryota "Hanamichi?" blinks  
{Listens to Rukawa???}  
  
Yuki stared at the red head in shock. He could not believe that the boy had actually accepted Rukawa's point of view. Could this be real? Disbelief quickly turned to anger. What had happened after Rukawa interrupted his plans with Sakuragi? He swore to question the red head as soon as an opportunity presents itself.   
  
Then a collective gasp from the others caught his attention. What was happening now? Why was everyone staring at Rukawa as if the boy had suddenly sprouted horns & a tail?  
  
Kaede "Do you remember the song 'Somebody'?" looks at the red head  
{Why am I doing this?}  
Hanamichi "........." nods  
Kaede "Do you want to sing ..." pauses "...with me?"  
{Am I actually volunteering to play the piano?!!! I hated those music lessons ... the things I do for you}  
Yuki "Fucking bastard!" mutters softly to himself  
{What kind of stunt are you trying to pull this time?!}  
  
Everyone was stunned by this unexpected turn of events. Could this boy really be Rukawa Kaede? Was Rukawa capable of conversing patiently with the red head? Miyagi pinched his cheeks several times just to make sure that he was not dreaming. The Captain of the team felt as if something had taken the wind out of his sails. He simply blinked when Sakuragi waved a hand in front of his eyes. He merely nodded his head when someone told him that Rukawa & Sakuragi would be back later in the evening. He shrugged when Mr Murasaki spoke to him. What did the teacher tell him? He had no idea.  
  
Yuki "........." grips fists tightly  
{I swear ... you will regret this ...}  
Hisashi "Yo! Miyagi!" pats the boy's shoulder  
Ayako "Ryota! Do you hear me?" smacks her classmate's head lightly   
Ryota "Ayako?" blinks "Rukawa ..."  
Ayako "They will be back in time for the performance" smirks  
Hisashi "Where have those two disappeared to?" wonders aloud  
Ayako "Practice?" shrugs  
  
Actually Rukawa had dragged the red head off to the shops. For once, the boy was thankful that his parents had been giving him a ridiculously high sum of spending money each month. The amount of savings in his bank account ensured that he would be able to get a suit of nice clothes for Sakuragi. It would be something nice & special.  
  
Hanamichi "This is so tight" tugs the high collar  
Kaede "........." eyes the red head as he pays the taxi driver  
{Stop it}  
Hanamichi "........." steps out of the taxi   
Kaede "........." blinks  
{Oh no ... I forgot about them}  
Hanamichi "Stupid Kitsune" grumbles  
  
Sakuragi inwardly groaned as he walked alongside the dark-haired boy. These girls were really treating Rukawa like a celebrity. They screamed his name. They shrieked as he walked past. It was truly dreadful.  
  
Cheerleader - RU "He is back!" hugs the girl beside her  
Cheerleader - KA "Rukawa is in a white suit" squeals "He is so handsome!"  
Cheerleader - WA "Rukawa-sama, we love you!!!" screams  
Cheerleader - KA "You can count on us to support you" jumps up & down  
Cheerleader - RU "Who is that in the black suit?!" squints her eyes  
  
Suddenly the entire group of girls fell silent. They stared at the red head. Who was he? One of the girls said that the boy was Sakuragi Hanamichi, but most of the others laughed at her. These girls thought that such a thing was impossible. The two boys sighed with relief as they finally escaped the girls.   
  
Hanamichi "They are there" points to the other members of the team  
Ryota "Eeeks!" squeaks  
{No way! Hanamichi?}  
Hisashi "Why are you ..." stares "Rukawa"  
{No wonder those girls are screeching like mad}  
Ayako "Hanamichi looks ..." searches for a word "elegant"  
{They look like adults}  
Kaede "........." looks away  
{I think so too}  
Murasaki "........." gawks "Oh ... it is your turn"  
  
As the meaning of those words sank into his mind, the red head froze. It was not obvious to the rest, but all of the sudden he felt quite nervous about singing in front of the whole school. Then Sakuragi felt someone's hand squeezing his shoulder lightly. The hand belonged to a boy with a pair of beautiful blue eyes.   
  
Kaede "Trust me" holds the red head's hand  
{Everything will be fine}  
  
Holding hands, the boys walked towards the piano on the stage. There was complete silence. The entire school population stared in mute amazement at the two boys. Rukawa Kaede, the boy with cold blue eyes, had the look of icy perfection in a white suit. Sakuragi, an infamous student with fiery red hair, looked refined & elegant in his suit that was the colour of the darkest night. Ice & fire opposed each other. White & black were direct opposites, but what was one without the other?  
  
Whilst one boy sat in front of the piano, the other stood beside him. As Rukawa pressed the black & white keys to produce the music, Sakuragi sang the words. The song was titled 'Somebody'.  
  
I want somebody to share  
Share the rest of my life  
Share my innermost thoughts  
Know my intimate details  
Someone who will stand by my side  
And give me support  
And in return  
He'll get my support  
He will listen to me  
When I want to speak  
About the world we live in  
And life in general  
Though my views may be wrong  
They may even be perverted  
He will hear me out  
And won't easily be converted  
  
The silence was broken as excited students expressed themselves. Did anyone know that Rukawa was such a talented musician? Who would have guessed that Sakuragi Hanamichi possessed such a wonderful voice? Was the red head the same person who sang the silly song about some genius?   
  
To my way of thinking  
In fact he will often disagree  
But at the end of it all   
He will understand me  
I want somebody who cares  
For me passionately  
With every thought & with every breath  
Someone who will help me see things  
In a different light  
All the things I detest  
I will almost like  
  
Girls hugged one another in delight as the two boys sang together.  
  
I don't want to be tied  
To anyone's strings  
I carefully try to steer clear  
Of those things  
But when I'm asleep  
I want somebody  
Who will put their arms around me  
And kiss me tenderly  
And things like this   
Make me sick  
In a case like this  
I'll get away with it  
  
The song had ended. The audience clapped. The audience screamed. The red head grinned sheepishly. His golden brown eyes glowed with inner happiness.   
  
Hanamichi "Kitsune ..." thinks  
{What can I say? I must say something ...}  
Kaede "Sssh ..." seals their lips together in a kiss  
{Will you be that somebody for me?}  
  
THE END ... ... ... 


End file.
